The strange gentleman hadn't been in the house much above a quarter of an hour, when they was both off together in a fly to the station." "What strange gentleman ?" "A stout middle-aged man, sir, with gray whiskers, that came from London, and asked for you first, and then for Mr.Saltram; and those two hadn't been together more than five minutes, when Mr.Saltram rang the bell in a violent hurry, and told my missus he was going to town immediate, on most particular business, and would she pack him a carpet-bag with a couple of shirts, and so on.

And then she tried all she could to turn him from going; but it was no good, as I was telling you, sir, just now.

Go he would, and go he did; looking quite flushed and bright-like when he went out, so as you'd have scarcely known how ill he'd been.

And he left a bit of a note for you on the chimbley-piece, sir." Gilbert found the note; a hurried scrawl upon half a sheet, of paper, twisted up hastily, and unsealed.
"She is found, Gilbert," wrote John Saltram.

"Proul has traced the father to his lair at last, and my darling is with him.