"Please, Miss Blythe, Doctor McTougall wishes to see you in his study."
She left us at once.
"Now, Robin," said I, with emphasis, "sit down on that chair, opposite
me, and let's hear all about it."
The excited boy obeyed, and Dumps, leaping on another chair beside him,
sat down to listen, with ears erect, as if he knew what was coming.
"Oh, sir! you never--such a go!" began Robin, rubbing his hands together
slowly as he spoke. "The Slogger! he twigged 'er at once. You'll open
your eyes so wide that you'll never git 'em shut again, w'en you hears.
No, I never _did_ see such a lark! Edie's found! I've seen her! She
ain't the Queen--oh no; nor yet one o' the Queen's darters--by no means;
nor yet a duchess--oh dear no, though she's like one. Who d'ye think
she is? But you'll never guess."
"I'll try," said I, with a quiet smile, for I had subdued myself by that
time.
"Try away then--who?"
"Miss Edith Blythe!"
On hearing this, little Slidder's eyes began to open and glisten till
they outshone his own buttons.
"Why--how--ever--did you come to guess it?" gasped the boy, on
recovering himself.
"I did not guess it, I found it out. Do you suppose that nobody can
find out things except Sloggers and pages in buttons?"
"Oh, sir, _do_ tell!" entreated the boy.
I did tell, and after we had each told all that we knew, we mentally
hugged ourselves, and grew so facetious over it that we began to address
Dumps personally, to that intelligent creature's intense satisfaction.
"Now, Robin," said I, "we must break this _very_ cautiously to the old
lady and Miss Blythe."
"Oh, in course--we-r-y cautiously," assented the urchin, with
inconceivable earnestness.
"Well, then, off you go and fetch my greatcoat. We'll go visit Mrs
Willis at once."
"At vunce," echoed Robin, as he ran out of the room, with blazing cheeks
and sparkling eyes.
"Lilly," said Dr McTougall, as Edith entered his consulting-room. "I'm
just off to see a patient who is very ill, and there is another who is
not quite so ill, but who also wants to see me. I'll send you to the
latter as my female assistant, if you will go. Her complaint is chiefly
mental. In fact, she needs comfort more than physic, and I know of no
one who is comparable to you in that line. Can you go?"
"Certainly, with pleasure. I'll go at once."
"Her name," said the doctor, "is Willis.--By the way, that reminds me of
your loss, dear girl," he continued in a lower tone, as he gently took
her hand, "but I would not again arouse your hopes. You know how many
old women of this name we have seen without finding her."
"Yes, I know too well," returned poor Edith, while the tears gathered in
her eyes. "I have long ago given up all hope."
But notwithstanding her statement Edith had not quite given way to
despair. In spite of herself her heart fluttered a little as she sped
on this mission to the abode of _another_ old Mrs Willis.