nt
disappointment in regard to the angelic nature of Katie still rankled so
powerfully in his breast, that he swung round and said--"Get along,
then--I'm your man--it's all up now--never say die--in for a penny in
for a pound," and a variety of similar expressions, all of which tended
to convince Mr Jones that Billy Towler happened to be in a humour that
was extremely suitable to his purposes. He therefore led him towards
his boat, which, he said, was lying on the beach at Broadstairs all
ready to shove off.

The distance to Broadstairs was about two miles, and the walk thither
was enlivened by a drunken commentary on the fallacy of human hopes in
general on the part of Mr Jones, and a brisk fire of caustic repartee
on the part of Master Towler.

A close observer might have noticed that, while these two were passing
along the beach, at the base of the high cliffs of chalk running between
Ramsgate and Broadstairs, two heads were thrust cautiously out of one of
the small caverns or recesses which have been made in these cliffs by
the action of the waves. The one head bore a striking resemblance to
that of Robert Queeker, Esquire, and the other to that of Mr Larks.

How these two came to be together, and to be there, it is not our
business to say. Authors are fortunately not bound to account for
everything they relate. All that we know is, that Mr Queeker was there
in the furtherance, probably, of his secret mission, and that Mr Larks'
missions appeared to be always more or less secret. At all events,
there they were together; fellow-students, apparently, of the geology or
conchology of that region, if one might judge from the earnest manner in
which they stooped and gazed at the sands, and picked up bits of flint
or small shells, over which they held frequent, and, no doubt, learned
discussions of an intensely engrossing nature.

It might have been also noticed by a close observer, that these
stoopings to pick up specimens, and these stoppages to discuss,
invariably occurred when Mr Jones and Master Billy chanced to pause or
to look behind them. At last the boat was reached. It lay on the beach
not far from the small harbour of Broadstairs, already surrounded by the
rising tide. About the same time the geological and conchological
studies of Messrs. Queeker and Larks coming to an end, these scientific
men betook themselves suddenly to the shelter of a small cave, whence
they sat watching, with intense interest