CHAPTER THIRTY TWO.
HOW I CAME TO HAVE SEVERAL IMPORTANT CARES UPON ME.
I scarcely knew whether I was awake or dreaming as Mr Smith closed his strange story with the inquiry-- "Now do you wonder at my questions ?" Little had I thought when that evening I knocked at his door and entered, that before I left the room I should have found Jack's father.
It was some time before I could talk coherently or rationally, I was so excited, so wild at the discovery.

My impulse was to rush to Jack at once, and tell him what I had found, to run for Mr Hawkesbury, to telegraph to Mrs Shield--to _do_ something.
"Don't be foolish," said he, who was now as composed as he had lately been wild and excited.

"We may be wrong after all." "But there can be no doubt," I said.

"This Mrs Shield is his old nurse and his sister's--he has told me so himself--who took care of them when their father--went away." Mr Smith sighed.
"Surely," I cried, "you will come and tell Jack all about it ?" "Not yet," said he, quietly.

"I have waited all these years; I can wait two days more--till his examinations are over--and then you must do it for me, my boy." It was late before I left him and went up to my bed in Jack's room.
There he lay sound asleep, with pale, untroubled face, dreaming perhaps of his examination to-morrow, but little dreaming of what was in store when that was over.
It was little enough I could sleep during the night.