t. Suspicion fell upon a man of infamous character, John
Walters; he had disappeared from the place. He had been last seen with
an idle, drunken fellow, who was said to have known better days, and who
at one time had been a skilful and well-paid mechanic, till his habits
of theft and drunkenness threw him out of employ; and he had been since
accused of connection with a gang of coiners--tried--and escaped from
want of sufficient evidence against him. That man was Luke Darvil. His
cottage was searched; but he also had fled. The trace of cart-wheels by
the gate of Maltravers gave a faint clue to pursuit; and after an
active search of some days, persons answering to the description of the
suspected burglars--with a young female in their company--were tracked
to a small inn, notorious as a resort for smugglers, by the sea-coast.
But there every vestige of their supposed whereabouts disappeared.

And all this was told to the stunned Maltravers; the garrulity of the
gardener precluded the necessity of his own inquiries, and the name
of Darvil explained to him all that was dark to others. And Alice
was suspected of the basest and the blackest guilt! Obscure, beloved,
protected as she had been, she could not escape the calumny from which
he had hoped everlastingly to shield her. But did _he_ share that
hateful thought? Maltravers was too generous and too enlightened.

"Dog!" said he, grinding his teeth, and clenching his hands, at the
startled menial, "dare to utter a syllable of suspicion against her, and
I will trample the breath out of your body!"

The old woman, who had vowed that for the 'varsal world she would not
stay in the house after such a "night of shakes," had now learned the
news of her master's return, and came hobbling up to him. She arrived in
time to hear his menace to her fellow-servant.

"Ah, that's right; give it him, your honour; bless your good
heart!--that's what I says. Miss rob the house! says I--Miss run away.
Oh no--depend on it they have murdered her and buried the body."

Maltravers gasped for breath, but without uttering another word he
re-entered the chaise and drove to the house of the magistrate. He found
that functionary a worthy and intelligent man of the world. To him
he confided the secret of Alice's birth and his own. The magistrate
concurred with him in believing that Alice had been discovered
and removed by her father. New search was made--gold was lavished.
Maltravers himself headed