If he's not scared during the first visit or two, he may consent to see me, or Percy--and among us we may be able to help him out of his present condition, which, to judge by his letter, I should fancy is rather reduced. He has been asked to call at Wilkins' on Wednesday, and they have promised to treat the matter as confidential--and we shall just have to trust they will manage to talk him round."

CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN.

A BRAND FROM THE BURNING!

Little suspecting the interest which his movements were causing elsewhere, Jeffreys, on the appointed Wednesday, presented himself at Messrs. Wilkins & Wilkins' office. He was so much changed by eight months' misery and privation that no ordinary acquaintance would have recognised in the broken-down, haggard man who entered the office the once robust and stalwart librarian of Wildtree. Even Percy would have had to look at him twice to make sure.

Mr Wilkins looked up curiously at his visitor.

"Ah," said he, "you have called in reference to that advertis.e.m.e.nt about Gerard Forrester. Quite so. Let me see. I have your letter here, Mr --"

"It is not necessary to know my name," said Jeffreys.

"Just as you please. Of course, as you say you were at Bolsover School with Forrester, and were the cause of his accident, it is hardly worth while making a mystery of it."

"I forgot that. My name is John Jeffreys."

"Thank you. It is a very proper thing of you to offer to a.s.sist us in our search, and I shall be glad if in the end you should become ent.i.tled to the reward which has been offered."

"I would not touch a farthing of it," said Jeffreys, with a scorn that astonished the lawyer.

"Well, that's your affair. I can understand you have some remorse for what has occurred, and would be glad to help, reward or no reward."

"I would give my life to find young Forrester. Has anything been heard of him?"

"Not much, though we have been able to trace him rather farther than you did. We found a day or two ago a mention of the case of a lad suffering from the results of an accident such as he appears to have met with in one of the medical papers at the time. The case was reported as having been treated at Middles.e.x Hospital, and I find on inquiry there that in the December of that year Gerard Forrester was a patient under treatment for some months, and in the May following was discharged as incurable.

That, you see, was more than eighteen months ago."

Jeffreys felt his heart thump excitedly as he listened. It was little enough, but it seemed at least to bring him six months nearer to the object of his search.

"After that," said Mr Wilkins, "we are unable to discover anything.

The address entered against his name in the hospital books, which was probably that of his old nurse, cannot now be found, as the street has been pulled down a year ago, and no one recollects him. I saw the surgeon at the hospital, who remembered the case, and he explained to me that the boy when he left there might have lived a month or twenty years. In any case he would always have to lie on his back. It would be possible, he said, for him to use his hands--indeed, he believed during the last week or two of his stay in the hospital he had amused himself with drawing."

"He was considered good at drawing at Bolsover," put in Jeffreys.

"So he may possibly have been able to earn a living of some sort. The strange thing is that he does not appear to have written to any one. He might have communicated with his former head-master, or some of his grandmother's friends at Grangerham, but he has not. According to Colonel--to my client's account, he does not even appear to have written to his father, though it is possible a letter may have miscarried there.

You have heard, no doubt, that his father died in action in Afghanistan in January?"

"Yes, I heard that--very gallantly."

"Yes; in fact, the boy would, I believe, if he could be found, be ent.i.tled to a pension, besides what little property his father left.

The account of the action, as well as our advertis.e.m.e.nts, have been in the papers. If Gerard is alive, he is probably somewhere beyond the reach of the press, and for my own part I cannot see how he can be in any but dest.i.tute circ.u.mstances."

This was all there was to say. But Mr Wilkins' task was not yet done.

He had been instructed to ascertain, if possible, something of Jeffreys'

present condition, and to sound him as to his willingness to see again some of the friends of his old life.

"I am afraid," said he, "you too have had reverses, Mr Jeffreys."

"Never mind me, please," replied he.

"You are living near here?"

"No."

"You must excuse me if I take an interest in you--as a former schoolfellow of young Forrester's. You have come through much since then?"

"Not more than I deserve," said Jeffreys, fidgeting.

"My client, I think, would have been glad to see you; but as you made a point of this interview being confidential, I was not justified in asking him to be present."

"Oh no. I don't want to see any one."

"It would be a great help to my client, who is a stranger in London, if you, who know Forrester, would a.s.sist him."

"Who is your client, may I ask?"

"My client," said Mr Wilkins, resolved to make the venture, "is a Colonel Atherton, an old comrade of Captain Forrester, who has undertaken to try and find the boy and provide for him."

Jeffreys started, and replied--

"No; I will do anything to help by myself, but I do not wish to meet him."

"You know him, then?"

"No, I have never seen him."

"He would, I can promise, respect your confidence, Mr Jeffreys."

"I know, but I cannot meet him or any one. I will do anything he wants about searching for Forrester--he cannot be more anxious about it than I am--but I have every reason for wishing to remain unknown."

"You forget that it is hardly possible he can fail to know your name; and he has friends, some of whom I believe are deeply interested in your welfare."

Jeffreys shuddered.

"I can't say more," said he. "I will do all I can, but I want to see n.o.body but you."

"I may, of course, report this interview to my client?"

"Of course; I can't prevent that."

"And I must tell him you definitely refuse to meet him."

"Yes. I cannot see him."

"Or tell him your address?"