ladies' society, especially that of such ladies as
Mrs Leather and Mrs Brooke, to say nothing of May herself and Miss
Molloy--the worsted reservoir--who had come to reside permanently in the
town and who had got the "Blackguard Boy" into blue tights and buttons,
to the amazement and confusion of the little dog Scraggy, whose mind was
weakened in consequence--so they said. Second, Mr Crossley was
remarkably fond of Captain Stride, whom he abused like a pick-pocket and
stuck to like a brother, besides playing backgammon with him nightly, to
the great satisfaction of the Captain's "missus" and their "little Mag."
Third, Mr Crossley had no occasion to attend to business, because
business, somehow, attended to itself, and poured its profits
perennially into the old gentleman's pocket--a pocket which was never
full, because it had a charitable hole in it somewhere which let the
cash run out as fast as it ran in. Fourth and last, but not least, Mr
Crossley found considerable relief in getting away occasionally from his
worthy housekeeper Mrs Bland. This relief, which he styled "letting
off the steam" at one time, "brushing away the cobwebs" at another, was
invariably followed by a fit of amiability, which resulted in a penitent
spirit, and ultimately took him back to town where he remained till Mrs
Bland had again piled enough of eccentricity on the safety valve to
render another letting off of steam on the sea-shore imperative.

What Charlie learned at the meeting held in reference to the
disappearance of old Mr Isaac Leather was not satisfactory. The
wretched man had so muddled his brain by constant tippling that it had
become a question at last whether he was quite responsible for his
actions. In a fit of remorse, after an attack of delirium tremens, he
had suddenly condemned himself as being a mean contemptible burden on
his poor wife and daughter. Of course both wife and daughter asserted
that his mere maintenance was no burden on them at all--as in truth it
was not when compared with the intolerable weight of his intemperance--
and they did their best to soothe him. But the idea seemed to have
taken firm hold of him, and preyed upon his mind, until at last he left
home one morning in a fit of despair, and had not since been heard of.

"Have you no idea, then, where he has gone?" asked Charlie.

"No, none," said Mrs Leather, with a tear trembling in her eye.

"We know, mother," said May, "that he has gone to Lon