The Cecil Whig., 1885-11-14

tended the next day coming to Gar
bage court to get money from kilgour.
And SO he disappeared.
The Blind Man had only begged
tuppence that evening, and couldn't
afford to retire. He was mot seeing
his way in tine world SO well as he
used," he said, and he was "looking
about for a bit of brat to lead him.
And so he disappeared.
Kilgour stumbled home, soDbing.
He, too, had been docking about for
bit OF brat" until the baby he had
lost would now be II years old. The
picture there at his throat-the only
thing worth pawning that he hadn' t
mortgaged to hope long ago-showed
fair head, with curly hair, and an ex-
preston which, to any but fathers
eye, must seem sickly. He had in
vested his earnings, his dead
wife's trinkets, his surgeons tools
and his self-respect in detective search.
Every clue of the detectives seemed to
lead him deeper into the hopelessness
of poverty-the wretchedness which is
SO near akin to guilt.
His resolve to live for the sake of
the search was unimpaired. Now that
he had no means to pursue it, pursued
it must be at all hazards The person
ality of the child herself had become
merged in the pursuit. More money
must be had for the detectives.
The bells of St. Giles were ringing
as merrily as if they sounded through
silken curtains instead of the slums.
Far above the fog shone the gilt ball on
the top of St. Giles spire, which caught
the sunlight-if the day was not to be
irredeemably dark-however murky the
narrow streets below. This was the
paupers' weathercock. Cats meat,
cats me- at" a dirty-looking fellow
came slowly crying through the courts,
attracting the maid servants by the
dozen. "Cats' meat was bought for
a farthing, piece as big as the palm
of the hand for each cat, stripped by
the cats meat man from the skewer in
the basket across his shoulders.
The blind man tuned out of an al
ley with stout staff in his right hand.
He was leaning the other on a ragged
boy. Sosbright it was the honest beg
gar seemed to feel the sunshine on the
fat mud. People passing seemed to
notice the boy, too, with his head bent
so far to the side that he almost looked
over his right shoulder. 1t was the
blind mans first appearance with a
guide.
Black Brows sauntered along half
block behind them, hands in pea jacket
pockets, smoking rehectively. Graft
tude, no doubt, interested him in the
blind man, and he seemed glad of the
boy. He even smiled and rubbed his
hands cheerfully as he walked briskly
away to his friend Kilgour. For two
hours the blind man and the boy tramp
ed the streets. They penetrated
through St. Martins lane into Trafal-
gar Square, where the tide of London
life was high. The old man and the
guide were already used to each other.
But in Kilgour's "second-story-b back"
room Black Brows had been working
himself into low fury. He had put
by semblance of servility, and seemed
for the nonce to have become TIE mas
ter. Kilgour lay face down on his bed.
He didn't feel like facing the world or
his tormentor, for the ex-surgeon had
now eaten nothing since the day before.
Besides, he had no clothes fit to be
seen. An inventory preparatory to a
visit to the pawnshop had satisfied him
of that.
Ceres the money" said the other !;
"ten pun dawn and forty more coming
after the jobs finished. l give ye the
straight tip that the young 'un shan t
suffer. 'Ele ave good permanent
ONE where e can make hisself useful.
A sight better, too, than running around
the cutters with blind 'bloke in tow.
You're to call the old chap to come to
i'm ERE, as e often does, an I'll care
for the youngster. 'Ere's the tenner,
and, with the forty comm to follow up
that Australian clue, it'll not be your
fault if suthing advantageous don't turn
hup.
The wretch on the bed sobbed, pro-
tested and then consented. Black
Brows went softly down the back stairs
and looked up and down the street.
The sound of the blind mans brass
shod stick came along the paving stones,
and Black -Brows hurried up stairs
again. With clutch like the grip of
handouts he shook KiIgour to his feet,
and pushed him gently toward the win
dow. "Now, call him." he whispered,
"and don't forget to say there's a mug
of beer for i'm"
So the decoy stuck his head half way
out of the window, shut his eyes and
called. So harsh and strained were his
tones that the old man scarcely recog-
nized them. Good Mr.. Kilgour took
his head in SO quickly that he didn t
see the lad and the lad didn't see him.
The Blind Man and his guide came up
the steps, the former acting now as
guide rather than the latter, to whom
the place was strsnge.
Black Brows, half opening the door
into the front room, dark because un-