n do nothing to find my little darling! Oh, Mrs.
Dredge, are not you awfully frightened about her?"

"Tut, tut, my dear, not a bit of it! Of course, when a little lass
runs away all by herself there are most times difficulties in getting
trace of her, but don't you be in a way, for they won't last long."

Poor little Jasmine sighed, and all her deep depression returned. She
was soothed again, however, by the sight of Noel, who came in very
soon afterwards. He said he had seen the Ellsworthys, and meant to go
down to Rosebury by the night train.

"I'm pleased to hear it, young man," said Mrs. Dredge; "you're doing
just what my Joshua would have approved of had he been alive. Even
though Joshua was in the chandlery line he had a truly noble heart,
and one of his mottoes was that the strong should help the weak, and
if shoulders are made broad they should carry big burdens, so you go
down to Rosebury, young man, and prosper in your work."

Noel smiled.

"I will certainly do my best," he said; "I quite agree with your
husband's sentiments."

"Well, well, young man, Joshua would have liked to know you in his
day. Dear, how stupid I am! but I didn't rightly catch your name. What
are you pleased to call yourself, sir?"

"My name is Arthur Noel."

"Well, what a small world we live in; it was only to-day I heard talk
of you. When Miss Primrose and I were down at Rosebury we came across
a gentleman of the name of Danesfield, and he came straight up to Miss
Primrose and said he had had a letter from you which he had not been
able to answer, because he was away. He said a lot to Miss Primrose
about the letter you wrote him; it seems that somebody must have
stolen three five-pound notes, which Mr. Danesfield put into a closed
envelope, and gave Miss Primrose for a kind of emergency fund when
she left her home. The poor lassie turned as white as a sheet when he
talked to her. Well, young man, you look white enough yourself at the
present moment, but I'll tell you, now, what has struck me, that
whoever took the three five-pound notes helped himself or herself to
that cheque of Miss Primrose's, and that poor little Daisy knows about
it."

"I should not be the least surprised if you were right, Mrs. Dredge,"
answered Noel. "Well, I must go now if I want to catch my train.
Good-bye, Jasmine keep up your heart--expect good news soon, and get
all the orders you can for dressing dinner-tables."

CHAPTER XLIII.

IN THE F