“We must get more,” said the old man, “we must earn it, Nell—­hoard it up, scrape it together, come by it somehow.  Never mind this loss.  Tell nobody of it, and perhaps we may regain it.  Don’t ask how—­we may regain it, and a great deal more, but tell nobody, or trouble may come of it.  And so they took it out of thy room, when thou wert asleep!” He added in a compassionate tone, very different from the secret, cunning way in which he had spoken until now.  “Poor Nell, poor little Nell!”

The child hung down her head and wept.  It was not the lightest part of her sorrow that this was done for her.

“Let me persuade you, dear grandfather,” she said earnestly, “Oh, do let me persuade you to think no more of gains or losses, and to try no fortune but the fortune we pursue together.  Only remember what we have been since that bright morning when we turned our backs upon that unhappy house for the last time,” continued Nell.  “Think what beautiful things we have seen, and how contented we have felt, and why was this blessed change?”

He stopped her with a motion of his hand, and bade her talk to him no more just then, for he was busy.  After a time he kissed her cheek, and walked on, looking as if he were painfully trying to collect his thoughts.  Once she saw tears in his eyes.  When they had gone on thus for some time, he took her hand in his, as he was accustomed to do, with nothing of the violence or animation of his late manner; and by degrees settled down into his usual quiet way, and suffered her to lead him where she would.

As Nell had anticipated, they found Mrs. Jarley was not yet out of bed, and that although she had suffered some uneasiness on their account, she had felt sure that being overtaken by the storm, they had sought the nearest shelter for the night.  And as they sat down to breakfast, she requested Nell to go that morning to Miss Monflather’s Boarding and Day School to present its principal with a parcel of new bills, as her establishment had yet sent but half-a-dozen representatives to see the stupendous wax-work collection.  Nell’s expedition met with no success, to Mrs. Jarley’s great indignation, and Nell would have been disappointed herself at its failure, had she not had anxieties of a deeper kind to occupy her thoughts.

That evening, as she had dreaded, her grandfather stole away, and did not come back until the night was far spent.  Worn out as she was, she sat up alone until he returned—­penniless, broken spirited, and wretched, but still hotly bent upon his infatuation.

“Give me money,” he said wildly, “I must have money, Nell.  It shall be paid thee back with gallant interest one day, but all the money which comes into thy hands must be mine—­not for myself, but to use for thee.  Remember, Nell, to use for thee!”