and as she waited the clock in the church-tower, which rose
over the roofs hard by, slowly boomed out the hour of eleven. As the
echoes of the last stroke died away the figure of Mr. Silk turned into
the alley.

"You must 'ave 'ad quite a nice walk," said his mother, as she drew back
into the room and noted the brightness of his eye.

"Yes," was the reply.

"I s'pose 'e's been and asked you to the wedding?" said the sarcastic
Mrs. Silk.

Her son started and, turning his back on her, wound up the clock. "Yes,
'e has," he said, with a, sly grin.

Mrs. Silk's eyes snapped. "Well, of all the impudence," she said,
breathlessly.

"Well, 'e has," said her son, hugging himself over the joke. "And,
what's more, I'm going."

He composed his face sufficiently to bid her "good-night," and, turning
a deaf ear to her remonstrances and inquiries, took up a candle and were
off whistling.

[Illustration: "He took up his candle and went off whistling."]

CHAPTER XXIV

The idea in the mind of Mr. James Hardy when he concocted his infamous
plot was that Jack Nugent would be summarily dismissed on some pretext by
Miss Kybird, and that steps would at once be taken by her family to
publish her banns together with those of Mr. Silk. In thinking thus he
had made no allowance for the workings and fears of such a capable mind
as Nathan Smith's, and as days passed and nothing happened he became a
prey to despair.

He watched Mr. Silk keenly, but that gentleman went about his work in his
usual quiet and gloomy fashion, and, after a day's leave for the purpose
of arranging the affairs of a sick aunt in Camberwell, came back only a
little less gloomy than before. It was also clear that Mr. Swann's
complaisance was nearly at an end, and a letter, couched in vigorous, not
to say regrettable, terms for a moribund man, expressed such a desire for
fresh air and exercise that Hardy was prepared to see him at any moment.

It was the more unfortunate as he thought that he had of late detected
a slight softening in Captain Nugent's manner towards him. On two
occasions the captain, who was out when he called, had made no comment
to find upon his return that the visitor was being entertained by his
daughter, going so far, indeed, as to permit the conversation to gain
vastly in interest by that young person remaining in the room. In face
of this improvement he thought with dismay of having to confess failure
in a scheme which apart