‘But I haven’t set the man to watch her.’

’Colonel Osborne is nothing to you, except as he is concerned with her.  This man is now down in her neighbourhood; and, if she learns that, how can she help feeling it as a deep insult?  Of course the man watches her as a cat watches a mouse.’

’But what am I to do?  I can’t write to the man and tell him to come away.  Osborne is down there, and I must do something.  Will you go down to Nuncombe Putney yourself, and let me know the truth?’

After much debating of the subject, Hugh Stansbury said that he would himself go down to Nuncombe Putney alone.  There were difficulties about the D. R.; but he would go to the office of the newspaper and overcome them.  How far the presence of Nora Rowley at his mother’s house may have assisted in bringing him to undertake the journey, perhaps need not be accurately stated.  He acknowledged to himself that the claims of friendship were strong upon him; and that as he had loudly disapproved of the Bozzle arrangement, he ought to lend a hand to some other scheme of action.

Moreover, having professed his conviction that no improper visiting could possibly take place under his mother’s roof, he felt bound to shew that he was not afraid to trust to that conviction himself.  He declared that he would be ready to proceed to Nuncombe Putney tomorrow but only on condition that he might have plenary power to dismiss Bozzle.

‘There can be no reason why you should take any notice of the man,’ said Trevelyan.

’How can I help noticing him when I find him prowling about the place?  Of course I shall know who he is.’

‘I don’t see that you need know anything about him.’

’My dear Trevelyan, you cannot have two ambassadors engaged in the same service without communication with each other.  And any communication with Mr Bozzle, except that of sending him back to London, I will not have.’  The controversy was ended by the writing of a letter from Trevelyan to Bozzle, which was confided to Stanbury, in which the ex-policeman was thanked for his activity and requested to return to London for the present ’As we are now aware that Colonel Osborne is in the neighbourhood,’ said the letter, ’my friend Mr Stanbury will know what to do.’

As soon as this was settled Stanbury went to the office of the D. R. and made arrangement as to his work for three days.  Jones could do the article on the Irish Church upon a pinch like this, although he had not given much study to the subject as yet; and Puddlethwaite, who was great in City matters, would try his hand on the present state of society in Rome, a subject on which it was essential that the D. R. should express itself at once.  Having settled these little troubles Stanbury returned to his friend, and in the evening they dined together at a tavern.

‘And now, Trevelyan, let me know fairly what it is that you wish,’ said Stanbury.