able to come with him, and that he was himself Professor Panky."

Yram again smiled very sweetly. "Then, my dear boy," she said, "I am all
the more anxious that you should not see him now. See nobody but the
servants and your brothers, and wait till I can enlighten you. I must
not stay another moment; but tell me this much, have you seen any signs
of poachers lately?"

"Yes; there were three last night."

"In what part of the preserves?"

Her son described the place.

"You are sure they had been killing quails?"

"Yes, and eating them--two on one side of a fire they had lit, and one on
the other; this last man had done all the plucking."

"Good!"

She kissed him with more than even her usual tenderness, and returned to
the drawing-room.

During the rest of the evening she was engaged in earnest conversation
with Mrs. Humdrum, leaving her other guests to her daughters and to
themselves. Mrs. Humdrum had been her closest friend for many years, and
carried more weight than any one else in Sunch'ston, except, perhaps,
Yram herself. "Tell him everything," she said to Yram at the close of
their conversation; "we all dote upon him; trust him frankly, as you
trusted your husband before you let him marry you. No lies, no reserve,
no tears, and all will come right. As for me, command me," and the good
old lady rose to take her leave with as kind a look on her face as ever
irradiated saint or angel. "I go early," she added, "for the others will
go when they see me do so, and the sooner you are alone the better."

By half an hour before midnight her guests had gone. Hanky and Panky
were given to understand that they must still be tired, and had better go
to bed. So was the Mayor; so were her sons and daughters, except of
course George, who was waiting for her with some anxiety, for he had seen
that she had something serious to tell him. Then she went down into the
study. Her son embraced her as she entered, and moved an easy chair for
her, but she would not have it.

"No; I will have an upright one." Then, sitting composedly down on the
one her son placed for her, she said--

"And now to business. But let me first tell you that the Mayor was told,
twenty years ago, all the more important part of what you will now hear.
He does not yet know what has happened within the last few hours, but
either you or I will tell him to-morrow."

CHAPTER IX: INTERVIEW BETWEEN YRAM AND HER SON

"What did you th