The two visitors bowed, and Miss Pillbody bent her head gracefully toward Mr. Overtop.

“What do you think of the schoolmarm?” asked Tiffles, when they had got into the street.

Overtop did not like the phrase “schoolmarm.”  “I think Miss Pillbody,” said he, “is—­a sensible woman.”

CHAPTER IV.

INNOCENCE ON A SLIPPERY ROAD.

Walking with the nervous and unreasonable quickness of city men, they soon arrived at Mrs. Grail’s.  The good lady was sitting at one of her front windows, sewing.  As she looked into the street, her face was seen to have a sad and thoughtful expression.  She came to the door in response to a sharp ring by Wesley Tiffles, who was tentative of bellpulls.  Mrs. Crull kept two servants, but she could never get over the impulse to answer the door, when she was near it.

Overtop explained that they were desirous of seeing Miss Minford on important business.

“The poor, dear child!” exclaimed Mrs. Crull, in a broken voice.  “She is not here.”

“Not here!” cried Overtop.  “Where is she, then?”

“I don’t know, sir; and that’s what troubles me so.”  Here the good Mrs. Crull began to twitch about the mouth.  But she did not cry.  She had too much of the masculine element for that.  Her whole life was a struggle between the weakness of her feminine body and the strong self-control of her manly soul, in which the latter, after an effort, always came out victor.

Mrs. Crull then proceeded to explain, a little incoherently, that she had taken Miss Minford to her house, the day after the murder, and had asked the poor child to live with her, to be her adopted daughter.  Miss Minford had gladly accepted the offer, and had stayed there until yesterday.  During the last two or three days, she had noticed that Miss Minford, or Pet, as she always called her, was worried about something.  She would not tell Mrs. Crull what was the matter, but Mrs. Crull somehow guessed that it was a love affair.  She remembered the handsome, dissipated young man at the inquest, and she had seen him standing at the corner below her house, only two days before Miss Minford left.

“Left!” exclaimed Overtop, jumping at a conclusion.  “Then that villain has abducted and ruined her.”

“It’s bad enough, I fear,” continued Mrs. Crull; “but perhaps not so bad as that ’ere.  Anyhow, I hopes not.  I spoke to Pet about that young man, and she looked as innocent as a spring lamb at me, though she kind o’ blushed when she denied having met him since the trial.  And, to do her justice, I don’t think she had met him then, though I sort o’ suspeck she seen him from the window two or three times—­she had a habit of looking out o’ the window—­and that he contrived to have a talk with her somewhere and somehow, the day before she went away.  And I think he must have had the cheek to come into this very room” (Mrs. Crull had shown her visitors