f the servants were ordered off to the various police
offices. Poor nurse, who was nearly distracted, started in a hansom on
her own account, persuaded that she should see and recognise traces of
her darling at the scene of his loss, and she almost raced the
carriage, which was bound for the same spot.

Sluggish natures like Mr. Egremont's can sometimes be roused to great
violence, and then pour forth the long pent-up accumulations kept back
by indolence and indifference. His only occupation during the rapid
drive was to vituperate his valet, the curse of his life, he said. To
hear him talk, it would have seemed as if Gregorio had been the tyrant
who had kept him in bondage all these years, fully aware of his
falsehood, peculation, and other rascality, but as unable to break the
yoke as if he had been in truth the slave of anything but his own evil
habit and helpless acquiescence.

Would it last if Gregorio made his appearance at that instant with
Alwyn in his hand? Or even, as Mr. Dutton confidently predicted, a
policeman might bring the boy home, before many hours were passed. The
chief doubt here was that Alwyn's defective pronunciation, which had
been rather foolishly encouraged, might make it difficult to understand
his mode of saying his own name, or even that of the street, if he
knew it perfectly; but the year he had been absent from London had
prevented him from acquiring the curious ready local instinct of the
true town child, and he had been so much guarded and watched that he
was likely to be utterly at a loss when left alone; and Nuttie was
wretched at the thought of his terror and loneliness, even while Mr.
Dutton told her of speedy recoveries of lost children through kind
people or the police.

They found all the officials of the Park already aware and on the
alert, and quite certain of the impossibility of nurse's prime dread
that the boy had fallen into the water unseen by any one and been
drowned. She was even ready to look into every bush, in case he had
been frightened and hidden himself; and nothing would satisfy her but
to stay making these researches, when her master had decided on
endeavouring to find 'Parker' at the club, and to ascertain from him
particulars of time and place.

He was found there. The dinner-hour had brought him back, he being a
man in authority there, very well dressed and deferential, declaring
himself immensely distressed at the occurrence, and at having accosted