EVENTS succeeded each other rapidly, after the memorable day toIsabel of the luncheon at the farm.

On the next day (the ninth of the month) Lady Lydiard sent forher steward, and requested him to explain his conduct inrepeatedly leaving the house without assigning any reason for hisabsence. She did not dispute his claims to a freedom of actionwhich would not be permitted to an ordinary servant. Herobjection to his present course of proceeding related entirely tothe mystery in which it was involved, and to the uncertainty inwhich the household was left as to the hour of his return. Onthose grounds, she thought herself entitled to an explanation.Moody's habitual reserve--strengthened, on this occasion, by hisdread of ridicule, if his efforts to serve Isabel ended infailure--disinclined him to take Lady Lydiard into hisconfidence, while his inquiries were still beset with obstaclesand doubts. He respectfully entreated her Ladyship to grant him adelay of a few weeks before he entered on his explanation. LadyLydiard's quick temper resented his request. She told Moodyplainly that he was guilty of an act of presumption in making hisown conditions with his employer. He received the reproof withexemplary resignation; but he held to his conditionsnevertheless. From that moment the result of the interview was nolonger in doubt. Moody was directed to send in his accounts. Theaccounts having been examined, and found to be scrupulouslycorrect, he declined accepting the balance of salary that wasoffered to him. The next day he left Lady Lydiard's service.

On the tenth of the month her Ladyship received a letter from hernephew.

The health of Felix had not improved. He had made up his mind togo abroad again towards the end of the month. In the meantime, hehad written to his friend in Paris, and he had the pleasure offorwarding an answer. The letter inclosed announced that the lostfive-hundred-pound note had been made the subject of carefulinquiry in Paris. It had not been traced. The French policeoffered to send to London one of their best men, well acquaintedwith the English language, if Lady Lydiard was desirous ofemploying him. He would be perfectly willing to act with anEnglish officer in conducting the investigation, should it bethought necessary. Mr. Troy being consulted as to the expediencyof accepting this proposal, objected to the pecuniary termsdemanded as being extravagantly high. He suggested waiting alittle before any reply was sent to Paris; and he engagedmeanwhile to consult a London solicitor who had great experiencein cases of theft, and whose advice might enable them to dispenseentirely with the services of the French police.

Being now a free man again, Moody was able to follow his owninclinations in regard to the instructions which he had receivedfrom Old Sharon.

The course that had been recommended to him was repellent to theself-respect and the sense of delicacy which were among theinbred virtues of Moody's character. He shrank from forcinghimself as a friend on Hardyman's valet: he recoiled from theidea of tempting the man to steal a specimen of his master'shandwriting. After some consideration, he decided on applying tothe agent who collected the rents at Hardyman's London chambers.Being an old acquaintance of Moody's, this person would certainlynot hesitate to communicate the address of Hardyman's bankers, ifhe knew it. The experiment, tried under these favoringcircumstances, proved perfectly successful. Moody proceeded toSharon's lodgings the same day, with the address of the bankersin his pocketbook. The old vagabond, greatly amused by Moody'sscruples, saw plainly enough that, so long as he wrote thesupposed letter from Hardyman in the third person, it matteredlittle what handwriting was employed, seeing that no signaturewould be necessary. The letter was at once composed, on the modelwhich Sharon had already suggested to Moody, and a respectablemessenger (so far as outward appearances went) was employed totake it to the bank. In half an hour the answer came back. Itadded one more to the difficulties which beset the inquiry afterthe lost money. No such sum as five hundred pounds had been paid,within the dates mentioned, to the credit of Hardyman's account.

Old Sharon was not in the least discomposed by this fresh check."Give my love to the dear young lady," he said with his customaryimpudence; "and tell her we are one degree nearer to finding thethief."

Moody looked at him, doubting whether he was in jest or inearnest.

"Must I squeeze a little more information into that thick head ofyours?" asked Sharon. With this question he produced a weeklynewspaper, and pointed to a paragraph which reported, among theitems of sporting news, Hardyman's recent visit to a sale ofhorses at a town in the north of France. "We know he didn't paythe bank-note in to his account," Sharon remarked. "What else didhe do with it? Took it to pay for the horses that he bought inFrance! Do you see your way a little plainer now? Very good.Let's try next if your money holds out. Somebody must cross theChannel in search of the note. Which of us two is to sit in thesteam-boat with a white basin on his lap? Old Sharon, of course!"He stopped to count the money still left, out of the sumdeposited by Moody to defray the cost of the inquiry. "Allright!" he went on. "I've got enough to pay my expenses there andback. Don't stir out of London till you hear from me. I can'ttell how soon I may not want you. If there's any difficulty intracing the note, your hand will have to go into your pocketagain. Can't you get the lawyer to join you? Lord! how I shouldenjoy squandering _his_ money! It's a downright disgrace to me tohave only got one guinea out of him. I could tear my flesh off mybones when I think of it."

The same night Old Sharon started for France, by way of Dover andCalais.

Two days elapsed, and brought no news from Moody's agent. On thethird day, he received some information relating to Sharon--notfrom the man himself, but in a letter from Isabel Miller.

"For once, dear Robert," she wrote, "my judgment has turned outto be sounder than yours. That hateful old man has confirmed myworst opinion of him. Pray have him punished. Take him before amagistrate and charge him with cheating you out of your money. Iinclose the sealed letter which he gave me at the farmhouse. Theweek's time before I was to open it expired yesterday. Was thereever anything so impudent and so inhuman? I am too vexed andangry about the money you have wasted on this old wretch to writemore. Yours, gratefully and affectionately, Isabel."

The letter in which Old Sharon had undertaken (by way ofpacifying Isabel) to write the name of the thief, contained theselines:

"You are a charming girl, my dear; but you still want one thingto make you perfect--and that is a lesson in patience. I am proudand happy to teach you. The name of the thief remains, for thepresent, Mr. ---- (Blank)."

From Moody's point of view, there was but one thing to be said ofthis: it was just like Old Sharon! Isabel's letter was ofinfinitely greater interest to him. He feasted his eyes on thewords above the signature: she signed herself, "Yours gratefullyand affectionately." Did the last words mean that she was reallybeginning to be fond of him? After kissing the word, he wrote acomforting letter to her, in which he pledged himself to keep awatchful eye on Sharon, and to trust him with no more money untilhe had honestly earned it first.

A week passed. Moody (longing to see Isabel) still waited in vainfor news from France. He had just decided to delay his visit toSouth Morden no longer, when the errand-boy employed by Sharonbrought him this message: "The old 'un's at home, and waitin' tosee yer."