rture, so there was no doubt that the
old crone, used to dodging and hiding, had slipped out of the garden by
some back way, while the guests had been commiserating the bishop's
slight illness. As Cargrim wanted to see the gipsy at once, and hoped to
force her into confessing the truth by threatening to have her arrested
with the stolen money in her pocket, he followed on her trail while it
was yet fresh. Certainly Mother Jael had left no particular track by
which she could be traced, but Cargrim, knowing something of her habits,
judged that she would either strike across Southberry Heath to the tents
of her tribe or take refuge for the time being at The Derby Winner. It
was more probable that she would go to the hotel than run the risk of
being arrested in the gipsy camp, so Cargrim, adopting this argument,
took his way down to Eastgate. He hoped to run Mother Jael to earth in
the tap-room of the hotel.

On arriving at The Derby Winner, he walked straight into the bar, and
found it presided over by a grinning pot-boy. A noise of singing and
shouting came from the little parlour at the back, and when the chaplain
asked for Mr Mosk, he was informed by the smiling Ganymede that 'th'
guv'nor was injiyin' of hisself, and goin' on like one o'clock.'

'Dear! dear!' said the scandalised chaplain, 'am I to understand that
your master has taken more than is good for him?'

'Yuss; he's jist drunk up to jollyness, sir.'

'And Miss Mosk?'

'She's a-tryin' to git 'im t' bed, is young missus, an' old missus is
cryin' upstairs.'

'I shall certainly speak about this to the authorities,' said Cargrim,
in an angry tone. 'You are sober enough to answer my questions, I hope?'

'Yuss, sir; I'm strite,' growled the pot-boy, pulling his forelock.

'Then tell me if that gipsy woman, Mother Jael, is here?'

'No, sir, sh' ain't. I ain't set eyes on 'er for I do'no how long.'

The man spoke earnestly enough, and was evidently telling the truth.
Much disappointed to find that the old crone was not in the
neighbourhood, the chaplain was about to depart when he heard Mosk begin
to sing in a husky voice, and also became aware that Bell, as he judged
from the raised tones of her voice, was scolding her father thoroughly.
His sense of duty got the better of his anxiety to find Mother Jael, and
feeling that his presence was required, he passed swiftly to the back of
the house, and threw open the door of the parlour with fine clerical
indignat