"For his own sake we'll hope he'll pull through. He may repent of his sins." "Quixande?"--with raised brows, and a shake of the head. "You don't know him." "If I did, I'd try to bring him to his senses." "Waste of time. With these cubs you may be able to do something, though I doubt it. Quixande's past mending." "No man is past mending till he's dead. Perhaps not then----" "Ah!"--with a pinch of snuff and a wave of the hand, "A hopeful creed, but with no more foundation than most others. It would, however, undoubtedly commend itself to Quixande on his death-bed." "A hopeful creed is better than a hopeless one," said Eager, with emphasis. "Undoubtedly, if you admit the necessity of such things." "Thank God, I do." "Well, well! However--what you are doing for those boys should benefit one of them, though it's thrown away upon the other." "And if you never solve the puzzle?" "If one of them dies I accept the other in full. That's the solution." There were times when all Eager's knocking on the great front door was productive of no result whatever. Then he would go round to the back and interview Mrs. Lee, but never with any satisfaction. "Ay?" she would say to his statement, straightening up from her work, arms akimbo, and gazing steadily at him with her dark eyes. "Maybe they're out." But he had never met Sir Denzil out, nor had any of the villagers ever encountered him, and Dr. Yool said brusquely that both the old gentleman and his gentleman were probably lying dead drunk in the upper rooms. Eager never mentioned these abortive visits to Sir Denzil, and there was never anything in his appearance to justify Dr. Yool's assertions. CHAPTER XII MANY MEANS Eager spread his nets very wide for the capture for higher things of these two callow souls cast so carelessly into his hands. Carelessly, that is, on the part of Sir Denzil. For his own part he believed devoutly in the Higher Hand in the great game of life, and never for a moment doubted that here was a work specially designed for him by Providence. He put his whole heart into the matter, as he did into all matters. He felt himself very much in the position of a missionary breaking up new ground, except, indeed, that here were no old beliefs to get rid of. It was absolutely virgin soil, and he felt and rejoiced in the responsibility.