The gentleman from the carriage then proceeded down the workshop, wading up to his knees in a sea of shavings, and bruising his ankles against corners of board and sawn-off blocks, that lay hidden like reefs beneath.  At the ninth bench he made another venture.

‘Sol Chickerel?’ said the man addressed, as he touched his plane-iron upon the oilstone.  ‘He’s one of them just behind.’

‘Damn it all, can’t one of you show me?’ the visitor angrily observed, for he had been used to more attention than this.  ‘Here, point him out.’  He handed the man a shilling.

‘No trouble to do that,’ said the workman; and he turned and signified Sol by a nod without moving from his place.

The stranger entered Sol’s division, and, nailing him with his eye, said at once:  ’I want to speak a few words with you in private.  Is not a Mrs. Petherwin your sister?’

Sol started suspiciously.  ‘Has anything happened to her?’ he at length said hurriedly.

’O no.  It is on a business matter that I have called.  You need not mind owning the relationship to me—­the secret will be kept.  I am the brother of one whom you may have heard of from her—­Lord Mountclere.’

‘I have not.  But if you will wait a minute, sir—­’ He went to a little glazed box at the end of the shop, where the foreman was sitting, and, after speaking a few words to this person, Sol led Mountclere to the door, and down the ladder.

‘I suppose we cannot very well talk here, after all?’ said the gentleman, when they reached the yard, and found several men moving about therein.

’Perhaps we had better go to some room—­the nearest inn will answer the purpose, won’t it?’

‘Excellently.’

’There’s the “Green Bushes” over the way.  They have a very nice private room upstairs.’

‘Yes, that will do.’  And passing out of the yard, the man with the glance entered the inn with Sol, where they were shown to the parlour as requested.

While the waiter was gone for some wine, which Mountclere ordered, the more ingenuous of the two resumed the conversation by saying, awkwardly:  ’Yes, Mrs. Petherwin is my sister, as you supposed, sir; but on her account I do not let it be known.’

‘Indeed,’ said Mountclere.  ’Well, I came to see you in order to speak of a matter which I thought you might know more about than I do, for it has taken me quite by surprise.  My brother, Lord Mountclere, is, it seems, to be privately married to Mrs. Petherwin to-morrow.’

‘Is that really the fact?’ said Sol, becoming quite shaken.  ’I had no thought that such a thing could be possible!’

‘It is imminent.’

’Father has told me that she has lately got to know some nobleman; but I never supposed there could be any meaning in that.’

‘You were altogether wrong,’ said Mountclere, leaning back in his chair and looking at Sol steadily.  ’Do you feel it to be a matter upon which you will congratulate her?’