king no undue advantage of the other in
asking him to help him in this matter, but that Keswick ought not and
would not object to it. If Miss March really preferred Croft, Keswick
should feel himself bound in honor to do everything he could to let the
two settle the affair between themselves. This was drawing the point
very fine, but Lawrence persuaded himself that if the case were reversed
he would not marry a girl who had not chosen another man, simply because
she had had no opportunity of doing so. He had a strong belief that
Keswick was of his way of thinking, and before he went to bed he wrote
his rival a note, asking him to call upon him the following day.

Early the next morning the note was carried over to Midbranch by a
messenger, who returned, saying that Mr Keswick had gone away, and that
his present address was Howlett's in the same county. This piece of
information caused Lawrence Croft to open his eyes very wide. A few days
before he had received a letter from Mrs Null, written at Howlett's, and
now Keswick had gone there. He had been very much surprised when he
found that the cashier had so successfully carried on the search for
Keswick as to come into the very county in Virginia where he was; and he
intended to write to her that he had no further occasion for her
services; but he had not done so, and here were the pursuer and the
pursued in the same town, or village, or whatever Howlett's was. He gave
Mrs Null credit for being one of the best detectives he had ever heard
of; for, apparently, she had not only been able to successfully track
the man she was in search of, but to find out where he was going, and
had reached the place in question before he did. But he also berated her
soundly in his mind for her over-officiousness. He had not wished her to
swoop down upon the man, but only to inform him of his whereabouts. The
next thing that would probably happen would be the appearance of Mrs
Null at the Green Sulphur Springs, holding Keswick by the collar. He
deeply regretted that he had ever intrusted this young woman with the
investigation, not because he had since met Keswick himself, but for
the reason that she was entirely too energetic and imprudent. If Keswick
should find out from her that she had been in search of him, and why, it
might bring about a very unpleasant state of affairs.

Croft saw now, quite plainly, what he must do. He must go to Howlett's
as quickly as possible. Perhaps Keswick and