et, and all Bungay soon knew
that Ruby Ruggles had run away.

After sending his message to Crumb the old man still sat thinking, and
at last made up his mind that he would go to his landlord. He held a
part of his farm under Roger Carbury, and Roger Carbury would tell him
what he ought to do. A great trouble had come upon him. He would fain
have been quiet, but his conscience and his heart and his terrors all
were at work together,--and he found that he could not eat his dinner.
So he had out his cart and horse and drove himself off to Carbury
Hall.

It was past four when he started, and he found the squire seated on
the terrace after an early dinner, and with him was Father Barham, the
priest. The old man was shown at once round into the garden, and was
not long in telling his story. There had been words between him and
his granddaughter about her lover. Her lover had been accepted and had
come to the farm to claim his bride. Ruby had behaved very badly. The
old man made the most of Ruby's bad behaviour, and of course as little
as possible of his own violence. But he did explain that there had
been threats used when Ruby refused to take the man, and that Ruby
had, this day, taken herself off.

'I always thought it was settled that they were to be man and wife,'
said Roger.

'It was settled, squoire;--and he war to have five hun'erd pound
down;--money as I'd saved myself. Drat the jade.'

'Didn't she like him, Daniel?'

'She liked him well enough till she'd seed somebody else.' Then old
Daniel paused, and shook his head, and was evidently the owner of a
secret. The squire got up and walked round the garden with him,--and
then the secret was told. The farmer was of opinion that there was
something between the girl and Sir Felix. Sir Felix some weeks since
had been seen near the farm and on the same occasion Ruby had been
observed at some little distance from the house with her best clothes
on.

'He's been so little here, Daniel,' said the squire.

'It goes as tinder and a spark o' fire, that does,' said the farmer.
'Girls like Ruby don't want no time to be wooed by one such as that,
though they'll fall-lall with a man like John Crumb for years.'

'I suppose she's gone to London.'

'Don't know nothing of where she's gone, squoire;--only she have gone
some'eres. May be it's Lowestoft. There's lots of quality at
Lowestoft a'washing theyselves in the sea.'

Then they returned to the priest, who might be suppos