a gleam of intelligence
now lingered. It was as if the little struggle of intellect had so
exhausted him that he was incapable of any further effort of reason.
And there he sat, waiting till the returning tide of thought should flow
back upon his stranded intelligence.

"Would you like him to be questioned about the family?" said she,
looking good-naturedly at him.

"Yes, miss,--yes," said he, half dreamily; "that is, I would n't like
my own name, poor crayture as I am, to be mentioned; but if you could
anyways find out if he was one of the Conway s of Abergedley,--they were
my mother's people,--if you could find out that for me, it would be a
great comfort."

"I'll charge myself with the commission," said Bella, writing down the
words "Conway of Abergedley."

"Now there was something else, if my poor head could only remember it,"
said Driscoll, whose countenance displayed the most complete picture of
a puzzled intelligence.

"Mix yourself another tumbler, and you'll think of it by and by," said
Kellett, courteously.

"Yes," muttered Driscoll, accepting the suggestion at once. "It was
something about mustard-seed, I think," added he, after a pause; "they
say it will keep fresh for two years if you put it in a blue-paper
bag,--deep blue is best" A look of sincere compassion passed between
Kellett and his daughter, and Driscoll went on, "I don't think it was
that, though, I wanted to remember." And he fell into deep reflection
for several minutes, at the end of which he started abruptly up,
finished off his glass, and began to button up his coat in preparation
for the road.

"Don't go till I see what the night looks like," cried Kellett, as he
left the room to examine the state of the weather.

"If I should be fortunate enough to obtain any information, how shall
I communicate with you?" asked Bella, addressing him hastily, as if to
profit by the moment of their being alone.

Driscoll looked fixedly at her for a second or two, and gradually the
expression of his face settled down into its habitual cast of unmeaning
imbecility, while he merely muttered to himself, "No evidence; throw out
the bills."

She repeated her question, and in a voice to show that she believed
herself well understood.

"Yes!" said he, with a vacant grin,--"yes! but they don't agree with
everybody."

"There's a bit of a moon out now, and the rain has stopped," said
Kellett, entering, "so that it would n't be friendly to detain you."