ife Mrs.
Goddard will then be exposed to the possibility of every kind of
annoyance."

"He would never come back, I am sure," objected the vicar.

"Why not? Every time he comes she will give him money. The more money she
gives him the more often he will come, unless we put an end to his coming
altogether."

"You seem to forget," urged Mr. Ambrose, "that there will be a vigorous
search made for him. Why not telegraph to the governor of Portland?"

"I thought you wanted to save Mrs. Goddard from needless scandal; did you
not?" returned the squire. "The governor of Portland would send down a
squad of police who would publish the whole affair. He would have done so
as soon as the man escaped had he known that Mrs. Goddard lived here."

"I wonder how Goddard himself knew it," remarked Mr. Ambrose.

"I don't know. Perhaps she told him she was coming here, at their last
interview. Or perhaps she wrote to him in prison and the governor
overlooked the letter. Anything like that would account for it."

"But if you catch him--alive," hesitated the vicar, "it will all be known
at once. I do not see how you can prevent that."

"If I catch him alive, I will take him out of Billingsfield without any
one's knowledge. I do not mean to hurt him. I only want to get him back
to prison. Believe me, I am much more anxious than you can possibly be to
save Mrs. Goddard from harm."

"Very well. I have done my errand," said Mr. Ambrose, with a sort of sigh
of relief. "I confess, I am in great anxiety of mind, both on your
account and on hers. I never dreamed that such things could happen in
Billingsfield."

"You are certainly not responsible for them," answered Mr. Juxon. "It is
not your fault--"

"Not altogether, perhaps. But I was perhaps wrong in letting her come
here--no, I am sure I was not," he added impulsively, as though ashamed
of having said anything so unkind.

"Certainly not. You were quite right, Mr. Ambrose, quite right, I assure
you."

"Well, I hope all may yet be for the best," said the vicar.

"Let us hope so," replied Mr. Juxon gravely. "By all means, let us hope
that all may be for the best."

Whether the squire doubted the possibility of so happy an issue to events
or not, is uncertain. He felt almost more sorry for the vicar than for
himself; the vicar was such a good man, so unused to the violent deeds of
violent people, of which the squire in his wanderings had seen more than
was necessary to convince hi