u8 By Stream and Sea. 



a tamely-worded paragraph of twelve lines which appeared 

 in the papers weeks after the events happened. Official 

 reports had doubtless been dispatched in due course to the 

 Home Secretary, but Government offices give to the public 

 press only the information that they are forced to surrender. 

 It was a tragedy that might have been made much of in 

 the hands of a zealous " Special," but, through a fortuitous 

 combination of causes, the public knew it not. 



Yet it was tacitly understood at Kingsford that the two 

 gentlemen who used to spend so much time at the little 

 hotel, and write upon large blue sheets of paper, were im- 

 portant personages sent from London to make inquiries, and 

 Mrs. Preston confided her suspicions to that effect to 

 another customer, who came with his gun-case to Quick- 

 moor, after the snow had melted. She found this young 

 gentleman, whose letters were addressed " Horace Herbert, 

 Esq.," very sociable, and extremely affable. He took much 

 apparent interest in the affairs of Kingsford, and was fond 

 of chatting with the warders over a cigar; but it was observed 

 that during his week's sojourn his shooting expeditions 

 generally ended in an empty game-bag, or in a total of snipe 

 wholly inconsistent with the fame of the bogs. Wearily, at 

 length, he packed up his breech-loader and cartridges, and 

 foretold his departure on the morrow. 



" We should have looked after you better, sir," the land- 

 lady said; "but I've never yet been able to fill up poor 

 Miss Western's place." 



" Indeed," answered Mr. Herbert, in the tone of one who 

 was not at all interested in Miss Western, or the landlady's 

 difficulties. 



" Poor girl, she left sudden the very night when the con- 

 vict went." 



" What is that ? " he said sharply. 



