certain, in her present excited
state, to do her more harm than good. Do you know if he is going to be
married?"

Toff, listening thus far in silent distress, suddenly looked up.

"Why do you ask me, sir?"

"It's an idle question, I dare say," old Pinfold remarked. "Sally
persists in telling us she's in the way of his prospects in life--and
it's got somehow into her perverse little head that his prospects in
life mean his marriage, and she's in the way of _that._--Hullo! are you
going already?"

"I want to go to Miss Sally, sir. I believe I can say something to
comfort her. Do you think she will see me?"

"Are you the man who has got the nickname of Toff? She sometimes talks
about Toff."

"Yes, sir, yes! I am Theophile Leblond, otherwise Toff. Where can I find
her?"

Surgeon Pinfold rang a bell. "My errand-boy is going past the house, to
deliver some medicine," he answered. "It's a poor place; but you'll find
it neat and nice enough--thanks to your good master. He's helping the
two women to begin life again out of this country; and, while they're
waiting their turn to get a passage, they've taken an extra room and
hired some decent furniture, by your master's own wish. Oh, here's the
boy; he'll show you the way. One word before you go. What do you think
of saying to Sally?"

"I shall tell her, for one thing, sir, that my master is miserable for
want of her."

Surgeon Pinfold shook his head. "That won't take you very far on the way
to persuading her. You will make _her_ miserable too--and there's about
all you will get by it."

Toff lifted his indicative forefinger to the side of his nose. "Suppose
I tell her something else, sir? Suppose I tell her my master is not
going to be married to anybody?"

"She won't believe you know anything about it."

"She will believe, for this reason," said Toff, gravely; "I put the
question to my master before I came here; and I have it from his
own lips that there is no young lady in the way, and that he is
not--positively not--going to be married. If I tell Miss Sally this,
sir, how do you say it will end? Will you bet me a shilling it has no
effect on her?"

"I won't bet a farthing! Follow the boy--and tell young Sally I have
sent her a better doctor than I am."

While Toff was on his way to Sally, Toff's boy was disturbing Amelius by
the announcement of a visitor. The card sent in bore this inscription:
"Brother Bawkwell, from Tadmor."

Amelius looked at the car