“Oh, missus! Oh, missus! if it was poison I would take it cheerful, I would! for it do break my heart to look in your face and to think what I done!” “You did nothing wicked, I’m sure. If you feel so much for me, drink this, for my sake, so that you may be better able to tell me about my child.” “I’ll do anything for your sake, missus! goodness knows I will!” said Pina, as she swallowed the wine. “Give her another glass, mum. She’ll hardly feel that in her condition,” advised the experienced policeman. Drusilla hesitated. But Anna, less scrupulous, took the bottle and glass from her hand, filled the glass again and put it to Pina’s lips with a peremptory: “Drink this at once.” “Must I, missus?” asked Pina, turning to her mistress. “Yes,” answered Drusilla. And Pina swallowed the second portion of wine. “Now,” said the policeman, after a few moments, extending his hand to Pina, lifting her up and placing her upon a chair—“now, my good girl, open your mouth and tell us all, how and about the loss of the child.” “Oh,” cried Pina, bursting into tears afresh, “it was _him_ at the bottom of it all, I know it was!” “Who?” inquired E. 48. “Him, Mr. Alexander, Mr. Lyon, Lord Killchristians, as they call him over here. Oh, dear! Oh, dear! Oh, me! Oh, little Lenny!” “His father!” exclaimed Drusilla, in a half suppressed tone. And she breathed somewhat more freely; for she felt that if Lenny were with his father, the child was in no immediate personal danger—nay more, that his detention was but temporary; that he would soon be restored to her again. She thought that her husband might have ceased to love her, but she knew that he never would deliberately do the deadly wrong of tearing her child from her. Still she was intensely anxious to hear the details of the abduction; but she was also extremely unwilling to admit strangers to a participation of the intelligence that involved so much of her private history and domestic sorrows. All these thoughts and feelings passed rapidly through her mind, while Pina was giving her answer, so when the policeman would have continued the examination by asking: “_Who_ was at the bottom of it, did you say, young woman? did you say a gentleman and—a lord? How was that? And what lord was it?” “Lord Killchristians! Mr. Alexander Lyon as used to was, and a notorious willyun too! and the child’s own——” Here Drusilla broke into the conversation: “Officer, these are private matters. I thank you very much for having brought this poor girl safely home, and I hope you will accept this trifle in payment,” she added, placing a sovereign in his hand. “You may leave us now. We will examine this girl, and if we find that your services should be required in the search, we will send for you; or you can call here in the course of an hour.”