The San Francisco call., 1905-08-20

dropped mine suddenly after as sudden
pressure for farewell.
] left the fat in considerable deiec-
ton after all, unable TO decide whether
Ra1ies was really i'll or only worried, as
I knew him to be. And at the foot of
the stairs the author of my dismissal,
that confounded Theobald, flung open his
door and waylaid me.
Are you going?" ne demanded.
The traps in my hands proclaimed that
/ was, but l dropped them at his feet
10 have il out with him then and there.
Yes" 1 answered fiercely, thanks TO
YOU"
well. my good fellow" he said, his
full-blooded face tightening and soften
ing at the same time. as though a load
were eff his mind, its no pleasure TO
me TO deprive any man of his billet, -but
you never were nurse and you know
that as well as I do"
l began to wonder what he meant. and
now much he did know, and my specu-
Iations kent me silent But come in
here a moment" he continued, just as
/ decided that he knew nothing at all.
And. leading me into his minute con-
sulting room, DIR. Theobald solemnly pre-
sented me with sovereign by way of
compensation, which | pocketed solemn
" and with as much gratitude II
| had not fifty of them distributed over
my person as 1t was. The good fellow
had quite forgotten my social status
about which he himself had been SO
particular at our earliest interview, but
he had never accustomed himself to treat
me as a gentleman, and I do not sup
pose he had been improving his memory
by the tall tumbler which I saw him
poke behind a photograph frame as we
entered.
There's one thing I should like to
know before I CO. said I, turning sud
whether Mr.. Maturin is really ill or
noti'
] meant, of course, at the present mo-
ment, but Dr. Theobald braced himself
like recruit at the drill sergeant's
voice.
"Of course he is" he snapped-''so
i'll as to need nurse who can nurse
by way of q change.
With that his door shut in my face,
to whether he had mistaken my mean
ing and was telling me a lie or not.
But for my misgivings upon this
point I might have extracted some
very genuine enjoyment out of the
next few days. I had decent clothes to
my back, with money, as ! say. in most
of the pockets, and more freedom to
spend 1t tndn was possible IN the con-
stant society of n man whose personal
liberty depended on a universal suppo-
sition that he was dead. Raff1es was as
bold as ever, and as fond of him, but
whereas lie would run any risk In a
professional exploit. there were many
innocent recreations still open to me
which would have been sheer madness
in him He could not even watch a
match from the 6-penny seats al Lords
cricket ground. when the gentlemen
were every year in a worse way with
out him. He never travelled by rail
and dining out was risk only to be
run with some ulterior object IN view
In fact, much as it had changed, Raf-
fes could not longer show his face with
perfect impunity in any quarter or al
any hour Moreover after the lesson
he had now learned. l foresaw in
creased caution on his part in this re-
spect. But 1 myself was under no such
perpetual disadvantage. and, while what
was good enough for Raffies was quite
good enough for me. so long as were
together, l saw no harm in profiting by
the present opportunity OF doing my
self we'll"
Such were my reflections on the way
to Richmond in hanson cab. Rich
rnond had struck us both as the best
center of operations. in search of the
suburban retreat which Raffies wanted.
and by road. in well appointed. we'll
selected hanson. was certainly the