book bearing the date of the General's
death, came a copy of the certificate of the baptism of Ursula Alice,
daughter of Alwyn Piercefield and Alice Egremont, together with that
address which Miss Headworth had left at Dieppe to gratify Alice's
forlorn idea of a possible rescue, and which Gregorio had asseverated
to be non-existent.

Doubtless he infinitely preferred his master's wandering bachelor life
to the resumption of marriage ties, and thus he had contrived to keep
Mr. Egremont from meeting the Houghtons at Florence. At the same time
the uncertainty as to Alice's fate had prevented any other marriage.
Gregorio had taken care that, if Mr. Egremont had been villain enough
to make such an attempt, he should know that his secret could be
brought to light.

Compared with all this wickedness, the proofs of fraud and dishonesty
were entirely unimportant. Gambling had evidently been a passion with
the valet, and peculation had followed, and Mark could have traced out
the full tide before the reinstatement of Mrs. Egremont in her home,
the gradual ebb during her reign, the diminished restraint under her
daughter. The other servants had formerly been implicated, but, except
a young groom and footman, Mark thought the present set quite free from
the taint, and was glad to acquit Broadbent. But the last telegrams
and the betting-book in the unhappy man's pocket confirmed Parker's
evidence that of late he had staked almost madly, and had risked sums
far beyond any means he could raise upon the horse which had failed.
The bailiff at Bridgefield had, it had long been guessed, played into
his hands, but to what an extent Mark only now discovered.

The result was that what he had learnt in the Park had so astounded him
that his inattention to the child had not been wonderful. He had--as
Parker testified--sought the little fellow vehemently, and had he been
successful, he might yet have made some effort, trusting to his
master's toleration; but the loss and reproach had made him an
absolutely desperate man. Was it blind flight or self-destruction?
That he had money about him, having cashed a cheque of his master's,
favoured the first idea, and no one would too curiously inquire whether
Mr. Egremont was aware of the amount.

It was only too true that, as he had said, Gregorio Savelli had been
the curse of his life, having become one of the whips left by pleasant
vices, and the breaking of the yoke had been not only at a t