mrs. dredge's remarks had by no means been lost on noel. when he left miss egerton's house he consulted his watch, and found that he had still an hour to spare before he need try to catch his train. he thought for a moment or two, recalled certain expressions on daisy's face, certain words which dropped from her lips, and, above all, a look which had filled her pretty eyes on the one and only occasion when they had met dove together.
noel began to feel more and more certain that this man, to whom he had taken a great dislike, had something to say to all the child's misery. noel knew, however, that suspicion in such a case would be of little avail—he must have certainty, and certainty could only be his by cautious and wary movements.
again he consulted his watch, and now he determined on a bold course. he remembered that the girls had once told him that dove was a painter by trade, but that he seldom or never had anything to do. noel was extremely fastidious, and, if possible, almost over-refined in the arrangements of his own home. he made his little plan with a sigh, but he would have done more than this for the sake of pretty little daisy.
walking quickly, he soon found himself at the doves' address in eden street. his knock at the hall door was answered by tommy dove, who assured him that both his father and mother were having high tea with shrimps and watercresses in the back parlor.
noel said he wanted to see dove on business, and tommy, remarking that the back parlor was as good a place as any other for this purpose, ushered the visitor in direct.
"i believe you are a painter," said noel—"i have chambers at westminster, and want to have my balcony and front windows painted. i've heard of you through the miss mainwarings, and as i'm in a hurry to get the job completed at once, i have called round to know if you are disengaged."
"of course you are, dove," said his wife.
"softly, my only love," replied her husband. "sir, be pleased to take a seat. i shall be glad to do my best for you, and any recommendation from the young ladies you mention is most gratifying to me. sweet young ladies they was, and ever will be—and my wife and me, we mourns unceasing for their departure."
"speak for yourself, dove," said the wife—"we are doing better with our present attics than we ever did with our late attics. sir, you'll excuse me, but truthful i ever will be at all costs."
"can you paint my windows or not?" said noel, rising to his feet, and speaking with some asperity. "if you are too busy to undertake the work pray say so, and let me seek some one else, for my time is precious."
"of course he'll do it, sir," said mrs. dove. "say yes to the gentleman, dove, and thank him, and have done with it."
"well, sir, i am very busy," said dove. "i haven't a moment to call my own for weeks to come, but all the same, i wouldn't disoblige the late attics for a good deal, so i'll just put off the cooks, who are wild to get their house-cleaning through, and mr. martin, who keeps the bacon and 'am shop, must wait. yes, sir, i wait your pleasure, sir—i can come."
"to-morrow morning, then, early," said noel, "this is my address. ask for my servant when you arrive, and he will show you what you are to do, and will also give you directions as to the colored paint i wish used. i must hurry off now, for i'm going down to the country on some very sad business. you will be sorry to hear, mr. dove, that miss daisy mainwaring has lost a considerable sum of money, and the poor little child is in such trouble about it that she has run away. of course, i don't believe for a moment that she has really lost the money—of course it was stolen from her. well, good-bye, i'm going to seek her, and to try to catch the thief. be sure you arrive at my house in good time in the morning, dove."
"yes, sir, very sorry to hear your bad news," said dove, in a self-possessed voice, but arthur saw that his color had changed, and he wanted no stronger clue to confirm his suspicions. when he got into the street he not only consulted his watch, but a time-table. a later train than he had intended to travel by would take it to rosebury early in the morning. he would go by this train. now he jumped into a hansom and drove to his chambers. his servant came to him, to whom he gave hasty directions.
"you're to buy the paint yourself, lawson; see that it is properly mixed, and the right shade. move the plants from the balcony early in the morning—the man will arrive in good time, and listen, lawson, i don't want him to be too closely watched."
"what do you mean by that, sir?" said lawson.
"only that you need not stay in the room all the time—come in and out, of course—but don't imagine the man to be a thief until he is proved such."
"well, sir, your commands must be obeyed, of course, but you have many articles of virtue and elegance about."
"never mind that, lawson—do as i tell you."
when his servant left the room noel took a five-pound note out of his pocket, and enclosing it in an open envelope laid it carelessly on the chimney-piece. there was no writing on the envelope, and the note might well have been slipped into it by mistake. noel also slipped a ring of some value from his finger, and dropped it into a little tray, which contained odds and ends of different descriptions.
"now i've laid my trap," he said to himself. "my poor little daisy, i hope i may ensnare your ogre to his destruction."
the next morning early dove, well pleased with his job, and never guessing that the smallest suspicions had attached themselves to him, arrived at noel's rooms. he was a most idle man, and seldom cared for work, but he was pleased at noel's singling him out, and imagined that notwithstanding her running away, he owed this visit to little daisy.
"she's a pert little thing," he said to himself, "and if she's so true to me as all this, why i suppose i must leave her alone in the future. i made a nice little haul out of her the other day, and i've got several of them sovereigns about me still; but lor, wasn't she in a piteous fright when i took that cheque away with me!"
dove was highly pleased with the appearance of noel's rooms. he could see no beauty in the simplicity of the girls' palace beautiful, but although he was quite incapable of judging of the value of the pictures and exquisite little statuettes which adorned the walls, he was judge enough of the depth and richness of the turkey rugs, and of the wealth which must have been expended over the very select furniture of noel's sitting-room.
lawson, wondering much at his master's directions but supposing that dove must be a very special protégé, received him with much cordiality, gave him directions with regard to his work, and then left him alone. dove painted and cleaned, and whistled as he worked; he felt quite cheerful and virtuous, and began to consider that the position of british workmen was not such a bad one after all. he felt more and more pleased with daisy mainwaring for having put him in the way of such agreeable and profitable occupation, and more and more resolved to leave her alone for the future.
