no child, nor
prospect of any, as I know of, that she may be well inclined to come
into my way of thinking, and of adopting him as her own son; but, of
course, this cannot be said without my consulting with Mrs McShane,
seeing as how the money is her own, and she has a right to do as she
pleases with it."

"That, indeed, alters the case," replied O'Donahue, "and I must not
stand in the way of the boy's interest; still I should like to do
something for him."

"You have done something for him, O'Donahue; you have prevented his
starving; and if he has been of any use to you, it is but your reward--
so you and he are quits. Well, then, it is agreed that I take him with
me?"

"Yes," replied O'Donahue. "I cannot refuse my consent after what you
have said."

Two days after this conversation the parties separated: O'Donahue, with
his wife, accompanied by Dimitri, set off on their return to Saint
Petersburg; while McShane, who had provided himself with a proper
passport, got into the diligence, accompanied by little Joey, on his way
back to England.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

THE DAY AFTER THE MURDER.

We must now return to the village of Grassford, and the cottage in which
we left Rushbrook and his wife, who had been raised up from the floor,
by her husband, and, having now recovered from her swoon, was crying
bitterly for the loss of her son, and the dread of her husband's crime
being discovered. For some time Rushbrook remained in silence, looking
at the embers in the grate: Mum sometimes would look piteously in his
master's face, at other times he would slowly approach the weeping
woman. The intelligence of the animal told him that something was
wrong. Finding himself unnoticed, he would then go to the door by which
Joey had quitted, snuff at the crevice, and return to his master's side.

"I'm glad that he's off," at last muttered Rushbrook; "he's a fine boy,
that."

"Yes, he is," replied Jane; "but when shall I behold him again?"

"By-and-bye, never fear, wife. We must not stay in this place, provided
this affair blows over."

"If it does, indeed!"

"Come, come, Jane, we have every reason to hope it will; now, let's go
to bed; it would not do, if any one should happen to have been near the
spot, and to have found out what has taken place, for us to be
discovered not to have been in bed all night, or even for a light to be
seen at the cottage by any early riser. Come, Jane, let's to bed."

Rushbrook