ef!' behold, there's that boy Braintop just as by maguc, and
he wavin' his best, which is a cambric, and a present from myself,
and precious wet that night, ye might swear; for the quiet lovers, Mr.
Pow's, they cry, they do, buckutsful!"

"And is Miss Belloni gone?" said Merthyr, looking steadily for answer.

"To be sure, sir, she has; but have ye got a squeak of pain? Oh, dear!
it makes my blood creep to see a man who's been where there's been
firing of shots in a temper. Ye're vary pale, sir."

"She went--on what day?" asked Merthyr.

"Oh! I can't poss'bly tell ye that, Mr. Pow's, havin' affairs of my own
most urrgent. But, Mr. Paricles has got her at last. That's certain.
Gall'ns of tears has poor Mr. Braintop cried over it, bein' one of the
mew-in-a-corner sort of young men, ye know, what never win the garl, but
cry enough to float her and the lucky fella too, and off they go, and he
left on the shore."

Merthyr looked impatiently out of the window. His wounds throbbed and
his forehead was moist.

"With Mr. Pericles?" he queried, while Mrs. Chump was giving him the
reasons for the immediate visit to Brookfield.

"They're cap'tal friends again, ye know, Mr. Pow's, Mr. Paricles and
Pole; and Pole's quite set up, and yesterday mornin' sends me two
thousand pounds--not a penny less! and ye'll believe me, I was in a
stiff gape for five minutes when Mr. Braintop shows the money. What a
temptation for the young man! But Pole didn't know his love for little
Belloni."

"Has she no one with her?" Merthyr seized the opportunity of her name
being pronounced to get clear tidings of her, if possible.

"Oh, dear, yes, Mr. Paricles is with her," returned Mrs. Chump. "And,
as I was sayin', sir, two thousand pounds! I ran off to my lawyer; for,
it'll seem odd to ye, now, Mr. Pow's, that know my 'ffection for the
Poles, poor dears, I'd an action against 'em. 'Stop ut,' I cries out
to the man: if he'd been one o' them that wears a wig, I couldn't ha'
spoken so--'Stop ut,' I cries, not a bit afraid of 'm. I wouldn't let
the man go on, for all I want to know is, that I'm not rrooned. And
now I've got money, I must have friends; for when I hadn't, ye know,
my friends seemed against me, and now I have, it's the world that does,
where'll I hide it? Oh, dear! now I'm with you, I don't mind, though
this brown-faced forr'ner servant of yours, he gives me shivers. Can he
understand English?--becas I've got ut all in my pockut!"

Mer