her by Mr. Rugge could not give her the information which Rugge desired,
and which she did not longer need. She gave the detective some
information respecting Madame Caumartin. One day towards the evening she
was surprised by a visit from Uncle Sam. He called ostensibly to thank
her for her kindness to his godson and nephew; and to beg her not to be
offended if he had been rude to Mr. Losely, who, he understood from
Dolly, was a particular friend of hers. "You see, ma'am, Samuel Dolly is
a weak young man, and easily led astray; but, luckily for himself, he has
no money and no stomach. So he may repent in time; and if I could find a
wife to manage him, he has not a bad head for the main chance, and may
become a practical man. Repeatedly I have told him he should go to
prison, but that was only to frighten him; fact is, I want to get him
safe down into the country, and he don't take to that. So I am forced to
say, 'My box, home-brewed and South-down, Samuel Dolly, or a Lunnon jail
and debtors' allowance.' Must give a young man his choice, my dear
lady."

Mrs. Crane observing that what he said was extremely sensible, Uncle Sam
warmed in his confidence.

"And I thought I had him, till I found Mr. Losely in his sick-room; but
ever since that day, I don't know how it is, the lad has had something on
his mind, which I don't half like,--cracky, I think, my dear lady,--
cracky. I suspect that old nurse passes letters. I taxed her with it,
and she immediately wanted to take her Bible-oath, and smelt of gin,
two things which, taken together, look guilty."

"But," said Mrs. Crane, growing much interested, "if Mr. Losely and Mr.
Poole do correspond, what then?"