198 Seventy Years a Ifaster. 



" Look you here," said I, calling him back, 

 for Putty was off again, and was already some 

 distance on the way to Lawyer Chapman's, 

 *' If you will call in as you come back, and let 

 me know how you get on with him, you shall 

 have a jug of my best old ale." Putty faith- 

 fully promised to look in on his retm^n. 



I went in, dined, and laughed hugely to 

 myself as I thought of a score of ways in 

 which we would tease poor old Will. The 

 evening wore on, but Putty did not appear. 

 Ten o'clock, and then half-past, and I 

 began to fear that either the lawyer had 

 been too astute for us, or that our man had 

 been made too drunk. At last I went to bed 

 in disgust. 



That was on a Saturday night, and 

 nothing was seen or heard of Putty until 

 the following Monday evening. I was 

 coming in with my hounds, when I saw him 

 coming from the direction of Potton, not 

 nearly so blithely as he had set out on his 

 quest for wealth. As he drew near I observed 

 a ** hang-dog" look about him that certainly 



