"That's quite clear, Ned," replied Bradly, gravely; "it was indeed a wild and foolish thing to do, but when the liquor's in the wit's out. No doubt you've much to repent of, but certainly you aren't answerable as if you'd killed poor Joe. Only, see how one thing leads to another. If you'd only loved the inside of your home as much as you loved the inside of the public, you'd have kept out of the way of temptation, and have escaped a deal of misery. Well, Ned, cast this burden on the Lord. Tell him all about it, as you've told me; and ask him to wash away all your sins in his precious blood, and he'll do it." "I will, I will, Thomas," said the poor sufferer. When Bradly left Ned Taylor's house, he walked home very slowly, revolving many thoughts in his mind, and, according to his fashion, giving them expression in a talk, half out loud, to himself, as follows:-- "Well, now, we've got another step on the road to set poor Jane straight; and yet it looks like a step, and a good long step too, back'ards. It's all explained now what's become of the bag and the bracelet, but we're further off from getting them than ever. I don't know; p'raps it's lying at the left-luggage office in London. I'll send up and see. But I mustn't say anything about it at present to Jane. But, suppose it shouldn't be there--what then? Why, we've lost all clue to it; we're quite in the dark. Stop, stop, Thomas Bradly! What are you about? What are you stumbling on in that fashion for, without your two walking-sticks--`Do the next thing,' `One step at a time'? Ay, that's it, to be sure. And the next thing's to send to the left-luggage office in London; and the rest's to be left with the Lord." So that evening Bradly spoke to one of the guards, a fellow-abstainer, and a man with whom he was on intimate terms, telling him as much of the story of the losing of the bag as was necessary, without mentioning his sister's name, and asked him to make full inquiries in London. His friend accordingly did so without delay, but brought back the sorrowful tidings that nothing answering to the bag described was lying at the left-luggage office, or had been seen or heard of by any of the officials.