pany
was kept in abeyance.

"No offence, my good sir, no offence! I only remember your mother--knew
her when she was a girl. But it is your father that you feature,
sir. I had the pleasure of seeing your father too. Parents alive, Mr.
Ladislaw?"

"No!" thundered Will, in the same attitude as before.

"Should be glad to do you a service, Mr. Ladislaw--by Jove, I should!
Hope to meet again."

Hereupon Raffles, who had lifted his hat with the last words, turned
himself round with a swing of his leg and walked away. Will looked
after him a moment, and could see that he did not re-enter the
auction-room, but appeared to be walking towards the road. For an
instant he thought that he had been foolish not to let the man go on
talking;--but no! on the whole he preferred doing without knowledge
from that source.

Later in the evening, however, Raffles overtook him in the street, and
appearing either to have forgotten the roughness of his former
reception or to intend avenging it by a forgiving familiarity, greeted
him jovially and walked by his side, remarking at first on the
pleasantness of the town and neighborhood. Will suspected that the man
had been drinking and was considering how to shake him off when Raffles
said--

"I've been abroad myself, Mr. Ladislaw--I've seen the world--used to
parley-vous a little. It was at Boulogne I saw your father--a most
uncommon likeness you are of him, by Jove! mouth--nose--eyes--hair
turned off your brow just like his--a little in the foreign style.
John Bull doesn't do much of that. But your father was very ill when I
saw him. Lord, lord! hands you might see through. You were a small
youngster then. Did he get well?"

"No," said Will, curtly.

"Ah! Well! I've often wondered what became of your mother. She ran
away from her friends when she was a young lass--a proud-spirited
lass, and pretty, by Jove! I knew the reason why she ran away," said
Raffles, winking slowly as he looked sideways at Will.

"You know nothing dishonorable of her, sir," said Will, turning on him
rather savagely. But Mr. Raffles just now was not sensitive to shades
of manner.

"Not a bit!" said he, tossing his head decisively "She was a little too
honorable to like her friends--that was it!" Here Raffles again winked
slowly. "Lord bless you, I knew all about 'em--a little in what you
may call the respectable thieving line--the high style of
receiving-house--none of your holes and corner