limited: he possessed only one suit of clothes and not over much
besides, said the landlady.

"Is there aught wrong?" she asked, when Pratt had finished his
questions. "Are you from where he worked?"

"That's it," answered Pratt, "And he hasn't turned up this morning, and
we think he's left the town. Owe you anything, missis?"

"Nay, nothing much," she replied. "Ten shillings 'ud cover it, mister."

Pratt gave her half a sovereign. It was not out of consideration for
her, nor as a concession to Parrawhite's memory: it was simply to stop
her from coming down to Eldrick & Pascoe's.

"Well, I don't think you'll see him again," he remarked. "And I dare say
you won't care if you don't."

He turned away then, but before he had gone far, the woman called him
back.

"What am I to do with his bits of things, mister, if he doesn't come
back?" she asked.

"Aught you please," answered Pratt, indifferently. "Throw 'em on the
dust-heap."

As he went back to the centre of the town, he occupied himself in
considering his attitude to Mrs. Mallathorpe when she called on him that
evening. In spite of his own previous notion, and of his