He could not yet personally thank Frank; for Frank and his wife had
quitted Eagles' Nest soon after the funeral of Major Raynor. With the
fortunes of its hitherto supposed owners come to an end, Frank could
not any longer remain, a weight on their hospitable hands. It was at
length necessary that he should bestir himself in earnest, and see in
what manner he could make a living for himself and Daisy. One great
impediment to his doing this comfortably was, that he had no money.
Excepting a few spare pounds in his pocket for present exigencies, he
had positively none. The sum he had privately furnished Charles with
at Christmas-time would have been useful to him now; but Frank never
gave a regret to it. Daisy was not very strong yet, and could not be
put about. She was going to stay with her sister, Captain Townley's
wife, for two or three weeks, who had just come over from India with
her children, and had taken a furnished house in London. Daisy wrote
to her from Eagles' Nest proffering the visit: she saw what a
convenience it would be to Frank to be "rid" of her, as she laughingly
said, whilst he looked about for some place that they could settle in.
Mrs. Townley's answer had been speedy and cordial. "Yes, you can come
here, Daisy; I shall be delighted to see you. But what a silly child
you must have been to make the undesirable runaway marriage they tell
me of! I thought all the St. Clares had better sense than that."
But the Tiger is not done with yet. On the day that Frank and his wife
said farewell to Eagles' Nest, and took train for London, Frank jumped
out of the carriage at an intermediate station to get a newspaper. On
his way into it again, he had his eyes on the newspaper, and chanced
to go up to the wrong compartment, the one behind his own. Opening the
door, Frank saw to his surprise that there was no room for him, and at
the same moment found his face in pretty close contact with another
face; one adorned with a silky brown beard and the steadfast grey eyes
Frank had learned to know.
"This compartment is full, sir."
How far Frank recoiled at the words, at the sight, he never knew. _It
was the Tiger_. With a sinking of the heart, a rush of dismay, he made
his way to his own carriage; and let the newspaper, that he had been
eager for, drop between his knees.
"He is following me to town," cried Frank, mentally, in his firm
conviction. "He means to track me. How shall I escape him? How am I to
escape Blase Pellet?"
CHAPTER VIII.
THE NEW HOME.
A cold, drizzling rain was falling. We have wintry weather sometimes
in July, as was the case now. The lovely summer seemed to have come to
an abrupt end, and to have flown for good. At least, it appeared so to
those who were turning out of their late happy and prosperous home, to
enter on another of which they knew little. Knew nothing, in fact,
except that it would have to be one of poverty and labour. For this
was the day that Mrs. Raynor and her children were quitting Eagles'
Nest.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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