“I will go in search of her child! I will devote all my days and nights, all my mind and all my means to the search; and I will find him, if he is not dead. If he is above ground I will find him! And when I find him I will go and lay him in his mother’s lap and ask her forgiveness, and she will grant it me for the child’s sake! Oh! I prayed Providence to give me the power of doing her a service, and now I have got it. It cannot be but I shall find her child, and so regain her love!” he murmured. Then looking up from his paper he called out: “Simms!” The valet, who was at the other end of the room engaged in closing the window blinds to exclude the hot rays of the mid-day sun, turned and hurried toward the bedside. “What o’clock is it, Simms?” “A quarter-past twelve, sir,” answered the man, after consulting his silver timepiece. “At what hour did Dr. Dietz say that he would return here?” “At ten to-night, sir, unless something unexpected should turn up to cause you to require his services before that time. In which case, sir, I was to sent a mounted messenger after him.” “Not return until ten o’clock; that is well; for I must get away from this place to-day; and if he were here he would be sure to oppose my doing so, and I want no controversy with my kind physician,—Simms!” “Yes, sir.” “Go fetch me a time-table of the boats that leave the Island to-day.” Simms vanished, and after an absence of a few minutes returned and said: “If you please sir, there are no time-tables. But the head waiter says as how the only boat that leaves St. Aubins for England is the steamer that sails for Southampton at ten o’clock every morning.” “Is that the only boat?” “The only one that leaves St. Aubins, sir; but there is another steamer leaves St. Helier’s every afternoon at three o’clock for Portsmouth, sir!” “Let me see! How far do they call St. Helier’s from here?” “About three miles, sir.” “That will do. Go down-stairs and tell them to send me my bill, including Dr. Dietz’s. And then order a fly to be at the door by two o’clock. And then pack up my traps and yours as quickly as possible. We start for England in an hour.” The valet stared at his master in speechless astonishment for a moment, and then gasped: “For England, sir!—In an hour, sir!” “Yes! Don’t I speak plainly enough? Be quick and do as I tell you.” “But, sir, what would the doctor say? You have never left your room yet since you have been wounded!—scarcely left your bed, sir! Consider your health, sir? Consider your life!” “Consider a fig’s end! There are matters of more moment than my poor life that demand my presence in England,” said Alexander. “But, sir, the doctor said—” “Simms! are you my servant, or the doctor’s?” demanded Alexander, sternly. “Yours, sir, of course.” “Then obey me at once, or I shall send you about your business.”