"I have not noticed," answered the lady, mournfully; "I was thinking of other things." "Of _him_, I suppose!" There was something husky in the man's voice as he spoke, the more remarkable that his strong Down East pronunciation was usually prompt, and clear from any signs of feeling. "Yes, of him and of them! Jacob, this has been a terrible day to me." "And to me, gracious knows!" muttered the man, giving his coat another rough shake. "Yes, you have been upon your feet all day--you are wet through, my kind friend, and all to serve me--I know that it is hard!" "Nothing of the sort!--nothing of the sort! Who on earth complained, I should like to know? A little rain, poh!" exclaimed the man, evidently annoyed that his vexation, uttered in an under tone, should have reached the lady's ear. "No, you never do complain, Jacob; and yet you have often found me an exacting mistress--or friend, I should rather say--for it is long since I have considered you as anything else. I have often taxed your strength and patience too far!" "There it is again!" answered the man, with a sort of rough impatience, which, however, had nothing unkind or disrespectful in it--"jist as if I was complaining or discontented--jist as if I wasn't your hired man--no, servant, that is the word--to serve, wait, tend on you; and hadn't been ever since the day--but no matter about that--jist now I've been down town as you ordered." "Well!" Oh! how much of exquisite self-control was betrayed by the low, steady tone in which that little word was uttered. "Of course," said the man, "I could do nothing without help. The little girl's story was enough to prove that--that he was in town, but it only went so far. She neither knew which way he drove, or how the coach was numbered; so it seemed very much like searching for a needle in a hay-mow. But you wanted to know where he was, and I determined to find out. Wal, this morning, as we left the steamer, I saw a man in the crowd with a great, gilt star on his breast, and as the thing looked rather odd for a republican, I asked what it meant. It was a policeman; they have got up a new system here in the city, it seems, and from what was said on the wharf, I thought it no bad idea to get some of these men to help me to search for Mr. Leicester." "Hush, hush; don't speak so loud," said the lady, starting as a name her lips had not uttered for years was thus suddenly pronounced. "I inquired the way, and went to the police office at once: it is in the Park, ma'm, under the City Hall. Wal, there I found the chief, a smart, active fellow as I ever set eyes on; I told him what brought me there, and who I wanted to find. He called a young man from the out room; wrote on a slip of paper; gave it to the man, and asked me to sit down. Wal, I sat down, and we began to talk about my travels, and things in gineral, like old acquaintances, till by-and-bye in came the very policeman that I had seen on the wharf.