Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://archive.org/details/johnnyludlowshor02wood Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Text enclosed by plus signs is in Old English font (+Old English+). Small capitals were changed to all capitals. A list of corrections is at the end of the book. JOHNNY LUDLOW. by MRS. HENRY WOOD, Author of "East Lynne," "The Channings," etc., etc. SECOND SERIES [Illustration] +Thirty-third Thousand.+ London: Richard Bentley and Son, +Publishers in Ordinary to Her Majesty the Queen.+ 1896. (All rights reserved.) London: Printed by William Clowes and Sons, Limited, Stamford Street and Charing Cross. CONTENTS. PAGE I. LOST IN THE POST 1 II. A LIFE OF TROUBLE 19 III. HESTER REED'S PILLS 36 IV. ABEL CREW 56 V. ROBERT ASHTON'S WEDDING-DAY 75 VI. HARDLY WORTH TELLING 92 VII. CHARLES VAN RHEYN 109 VIII. MRS. TODHETLEY'S EARRINGS 133 IX. A TALE OF SIN 153 X. A DAY OF PLEASURE 231 XI. THE FINAL ENDING TO IT 250 XII. MARGARET RYMER 272 XIII. THE OTHER EARRING 289 XIV. ANNE 310 XV. THE KEY OF THE CHURCH 367 XVI. THE SYLLABUB FEAST 387 XVII. SEEN IN THE MOONLIGHT 408 XVIII. ROSE LODGE 427 XIX. LEE, THE LETTER MAN 446 JOHNNY LUDLOW. I. LOST IN THE POST. Many a true tale has been told of the disappearance of money in passing through the post. Sometimes the loss is never cleared up, but remains a mystery to the end. One of these losses happened to us, and the circumstances were so curious that they would have puzzled a bench of judges. It was a regular mystery, and could not be accounted for in any way. * * * * *