the very same question. He thought Jim Rawlings
might ha' told me something. But bless you, Jim knows no more than anybody
else. All as he can tell is as Mr. Fortescue sometimes goes to London,
that he is uncommon fond of hosses, and either rides or drives tandem
nearly every day, and has ordered a slap-up four-in-hand drag. And he has
got a 'boratory and no end o' chemicals and stuff, and electric machines,
and all sorts o' gimcracks."

"Is there a Mrs. Fortescue?"

"Not as I knows on. There is not a woman in the house, except servants."

"Who looks after things, then?"

"Well, there's a housekeeper. But the head bottle-washer is a chap they
call major-domo--a German he is. He looks after everything, and an
uncommon sharp domo he is, too, Jim says. Nobody can do him a penny piece.
And then there is Mr. Fortescue's body-servant; he's a dark man, with a
big scar on one cheek, and rings in his ears. They call him Rumun."

"Nonsense! There's no such name as Rumun."

"That's what I told Jim. He said it was a rum 'un, but his name was Rumun,
and no mistake."

"Dark, and rings in his ears! The man is probably a Spaniard. You mean
Ramon."

"No, I don't; I mean Rumun," returned Tawney, doggedly. "I thought it was
an uncommon rum name, and I asked Jim twice--he calls at the kennels
sometimes--I asked him twice, and he said he was cock sure it was Rumun."

"Rumun let it be then. Altogether, this Mr. Fortescue seems to be rather a
mysterious personage."

"You are right there, Mr. Bacon, he is. I only wish I was half as
mysterious. Why, he must be worth thousands upon thousands. And he spends
his money like a gentleman, he does--thinks less of a sovereign than you
think of a bob. He sent Mr. Keyworth a hundred pounds for his hunt
subscription, and said if they were any ways short at the end of the
season they had only to tell him and he would send as much more."

Having now got all the information out of Tawney he was able to give me, I
stood him another whiskey, and after lighting a cigar I mounted my horse
and jogged slowly homeward, thinking much about Mr. Fortescue, and
wondering who he could be. The study of physiognomy is one of my fads, and
his face had deeply impressed me; in great wealth, moreover, there is
always something that strikes the imagination, and this man was evidently
very rich, and the mystery that surrounded him piqued my curiosity.

CHAPTER II.

TICKLE-ME-QUICK.

Being naturally of