you?" he said.
"I think I should like it in gold--a fiver at a time."

CHAPTER TEN

TINKER'S FOUNDLING

On the following afternoon Tinker met Madame de Belle-Ile hurrying out
of the hotel in a scarlet travelling costume.

At the sight of him she stopped short and cried, "Have you heard the
sad news?"

"No; what sad news?" said Tinker.

"About poor Monsieur Courtnay! He has had an accident; he is laid up
at Nice, ill among strangers! I go; I fly to nurse him!"

"Nurse that brute!" said Tinker quickly. "That--that is a waste of
kindness."

Madame de Belle-Ile's face fell, and then flushed with anger. "You are
a horrid and detestable boy!" she cried angrily.

"Oh, no! I'm not! It's quite true," said Tinker quietly, and he
looked at her seriously. He wanted to warn her; then he saw that he
could not do so without revealing Claire's secret. "I wish I could
tell you about him," he went on. "But I can't. He really is a sweep!"

"You are an impertinent little wretch!" she said, and left him.

"Au revoir," said Tinker gently.

But she only tossed her head, and hurried on. Yet Tinker's honest
expression of opinion had impressed her: she had a belief in the
instinct of children generally and, like most people who came into
contact with him, she had a strong belief in the instinct of Tinker.
She tried to forget his words; but they kept recurring to her, and in
spite of herself, unconsciously, they put her on her guard.

Tinker watched her out of sight, then he had half a thought of telling
Claire that she had gone to Courtnay, doubtless at his summons. But he
saw quickly that there was no need, and dismissed the thought from his
mind. Also, he kept out of his cousin's way for some days; he had a
feeling that,--however grateful she might be to him, the sight of him,
reminding her of how badly Courtnay had behaved, would be unpleasant to
her.

However, he watched her from a distance, and saw that she was pale and
listless. Then he saw with great pleasure that Lord Crosland contrived
to be with her a good deal, that he even neglected the system for her.
But for all this pleasure, he was not quite easy in his mind; the
knowledge that he had done his grand-uncle Bumpkin the service of
saving him from such a son-in-law as Courtnay was a discomfort to him:
he felt that this was a matter which must be set right, and he kept his
eyes open for a chance. He looked, too, for the return of Courtnay and
Ma