y voice. I
called out my name. Within my own little limits, it was the name of a
celebrated person. The landlord opened his door directly; eager to answer
my questions if he could do it. Nothing in the least out of the common
way had happened at Kylam. No strangers had been seen in, or near, the
place. The stranded boat had not been discovered; and the crashing flight
of the rocket into the air had failed to disturb the soundly-sleeping
villagers.

On my melancholy way back, fatigue of body--and, far worse, fatigue of
mind--forced me to take a few minutes' rest.

The dimly-flowing river was at my feet; the river on which I had seen
Cristel again, for the first time since we were children. Thus far, the
dreadful loss of her had been a calamity, held away from me in some
degree by events which had imperatively taken possession of my mind. In
the darkness and the stillness, the misery of having lost her was free to
crush me. My head dropped on the neck of the dog, nestling close at my
side. "Oh, Ponto!" I said to him, "she's gone!" Nobody could see me;
nobody could despise me--I burst out crying.

CHAPTER XVI

BRIBERY AND CORRUPTION

Twice, I looked into Toller's room during the remainder of the night, and
found him sleeping. When the sun rose, I could endure the delay no
longer. I woke him.

"What is it?" he asked peevishly.

"You must be the last person who saw Cristel," I answered. "I want to
know all that you can tell me."

His anger completely mastered him; he burst out with a furious reply.

"It's you two--you my landlord, and him my lodger--who have driven Cristy
away from her home. She said she would go, and she has gone. Get out of
my place, sir! You ought to be ashamed to look at me."

It was useless to reason with him, and it was of vital importance to lose
no time in instituting a search. After the reception I had met with, I
took care to restore the key of the door leading into the new cottage,
before I left him. It was his key; and the poor distracted old man might
charge me with taking away his property next.

As I set forth on my way home, I found the new man-servant on the
look-out.

His first words showed that he was acting under orders. He asked if I had
found the young lady; and he next informed me that his master had revived
some hours since, and "bore no malice." This outrageous assertion
suddenly fired me with suspicion. I believed that the Cur had been acting
a part when he threa