The Birkenhead News and Wirral General Advertiser. — 1883-10-20 (Birkenhead, Merseyside, England)

CHAPTER XX.  THE CONFERENCE AT ECCLESFORD HALL.  its, we will return to Eceleaford Hall.  It was a very balmy, beautiful P'norning. Mr. Theobald Twinch had just returned from a very exciting ride, so exciting, in fact, that he was in a state of unusual exhilaration, gay and goodhumoured to everybody except his poor little wife; she had to beat a hasty retreat whon he entered the room, simply because she asked him if he had seen D iggles. " Diggles be hanged ! what have Ito do with Diggles !" was the brutal rejoinder. " The boy is old enough to look after himself, isn't he ? Dye expect him always to he tied to your apron strings ? curse you !" " Call yourself a man," sneered Airs. Timothy T winch, who, to do her justice, always took the poor persecuted wife's part most courageously, " bah ! you're a bully and a coward." " By the fiend !" and the half drunken Theobald advanced towards her with clenched fists, but the flashing eyes of the virago somewhat awed him, so he contented himself by hurling upon her the epithet of " cat !" then sat down, to the intense relief of Mr. Timothy, who hid already risen to make a speech. Theobahl drank some brandy, and the potent liquid, instead of making him more drunk, seemed actually to mike him more sober, for he leaned across the table and said, significantly, to Timothy : "I think I've nailed the old fellow, now, Tim; made it all right with doctors and lawyers." " Tush !" said Timothy, fiercely, "it's no good. He's going to London to-morrow."  Theobald looked at his brother in half-drunken, stupid amazement. "Tim," he exclaimed, " he'll upset all our plans, him and that old meddler, Dr. Rowe—he's at the bottom of it you may depend. What's the cantankerous old fellow going to Lmdon for ?" " Don't get into too great a passion when I tell you, b2cause passion blinds reason, and does more harm than good ; he is going to London to find Roland."  "T find Roland ?" Theobald reiterated the words in a hissing whisper. " Yes, and, of course, lie knows where to find him, for he corresponds with Blanche Neville, and she's at Dr. Rowe's. He wants to ascertain for himself what kind of life Roland is leading, and whether what has been said of him is really true." "Did he tell you all this, Tim ?" _  " He did." "Didn't your fingers itch to strangle him ?"  " Hush—he is very tiresome, it is true Theo., but he is our brother."  "B1i!"  " And it isn't worth while to slip our necks into a noose; we will find out a safer way to gain ourends than murder." " I wish you'd find out the way then; he's slippinr, through our fingers fast," grumbled Tl7eobald, "have you an idea ?" "I have. We all know that our brother is out of his mind, and not accountable for his actions, the doctor and lawyer at Eaglethorpe said so, didn't they ?" What a diabolical leer was upon Timothy's fade to be sure. "You went there on purpose to ask." 'They are ready to affirm that he's mad and ought not to be at large," answered Theobald ; and if it hadn't been for this Inndon whim we'd have von had him under hatches depend upon it. Private lunatic asylums are handy places, Tim." _ _  "Thy are a great blessing to many," and rim grinned, then tossed off a brandy. "Here comes Diggles, let us hear what he has to say."  "Diggles Twinch 10-unged into the room and threw himself earekssly into a Chair.  Anyone could see he had been drink. i ,g.  " Diggles," said Theobald, " the old man is going to London to-morrow to hunt up Roland Twinch." "I'll bet you ten to one he beats us in the pine ; you play your cards so confound, dly stuDilly," said Diggles "if he finds out Roland in London, and of course he will find him-out, you'd better b 3 packing up, en route to—the dogs l" 'lt's serious perplexity," said Timothy._  Couldn't he be stopped from going for a few days ?" Mrs. Timothy Twineb ventured to suggest.