Mr. Larkin glanced toward the door, and then toward the window.
"We are quite alone?" said he, mildly.
"Yesh, without you have the devil in your pocket, as old Dingwell saysh," answered Levi, sulkily.
"For there are subjects of a painful nature, as you know, gentlemen, connected with this particular case," continued Mr. Larkin.
"Awful painful; but we'll sta-an' it," said Goldshed, with unctuous humour; "we'll sta-an' it, but wishes it over quick;" and he winked at Levi.
"Yesh, he wishes it over quick," echoed Levi; "the gov'nor and me, we wishes it over quick."
"And so do I, most assuredly; but we must have a little patience. If deception does lurk here—and you know I warned you I suspected it—we must not prematurely trouble Lord Verney."
"He might throw up the sponge, he might, I know," said Levi, with a nod.
"I don't know what course Lord Verney might think it right in such a case to adopt; I only know that until I am in a position to reduce suspicion to certainty, it would hardly consist with right feeling to torture his mind upon the subject. In the meantime he is—a—growing"——
"Growing warm in his berth," said Goldshed.