olved to investigate through all its
ramifications the secret which he had first discovered when the
fragments of Zack's hair were playfully held up for him to look at in
the deaf and dumb girl's hand.

The dispersion of the idlers on the pavement was accelerated, and the
footman's imaginary description of the proceedings then in progress at
Mr. Thorpe's was cut short, by the falling of a heavy shower. The frost,
after breaking up, had been succeeded that year by prematurely mild
spring weather--April seemed to have come a month before its time.

Regardless of the rain, Mat walked slowly up and down the streets round
Baregrove Square, peering every now and then, from afar off, through
the misty shower, to see if the carriages were still drawn up at Mr.
Thorpe's door. The ceremony of presenting the Testimonial was evidently
a protracted one; for the vehicles were long kept waiting for their
owners. The rain had passed away--the sun had reappeared--fresh clouds
had gathered, and it was threatening a second shower, before the
Deputation from the great Religious Society re-entered their vehicles
and drove out of the square.

When they had quitted it, Mat advanced and knocked at Mr. Thorpe's door.
The clouds rolled up darkly over the sun, and the first warning drops of
the new shower began to fall, as the door opened.

The servant hesitated about admitting him. He had anticipated that
this sort of obstacle would be thrown in his way at the outset, and had
provided against it in his own mind beforehand. "Tell your master," he
said, "that his son is ill, and I've come to speak to him about it."

This message was delivered, and had the desired effect. Mat was admitted
into the drawing-room immediately.

The chairs occupied by the members of the Deputation had not been
moved away--the handsome silver inkstand was on the table--the Address,
beautifully written on the fairest white paper, lay by it. Mr. Thorpe
stood before the fireplace, and bending over towards the table,
mechanically examined, for the second time, the signatures attached to
the Address, while his strange visitor was being ushered up stairs.

Mat's arrival had interrupted him just at the moment when he was going
to Mrs. Thorpe's room, to describe to her the Presentation ceremony
which she had not been well enough to attend. He had stopped
immediately, and the faint smile that was on his face had vanished from
it, when the news of his son's illness reached