“No great loss,” said Jack. “You wouldn't care much about seeing her again. She is a tall, gaunt, disagreeable looking woman; while Ida is fair, and sweet looking. I didn't fancy this Mrs. Hardwick when I first set eyes on her. Aunt Rachel was right, for once.”
“What did she think?”
“She took a dislike to her, and declared that it was only a plot to get possession of Ida; but then, that was what we expected of Aunt Rachel.”
“Still, it seems difficult to imagine any satisfactory motive on the part of this woman, supposing she is not Ida's mother.”
“Mother, or not,” returned Jack, “she's got possession of Ida; and, from all that you say, she is not the best person to bring her up. I am determined to rescue Ida from this she-dragon. Will you help me, uncle?”
“You may count upon me, Jack, for all I can do.”
“Then,” said Jack, with energy, “we shall succeed. I feel sure of it. 'Where there's a will there's a way,' you know.”
CHAPTER XVIII. FINESSE.
THE next thing to be done by Jack was, of course, in some way to obtain a clew to the whereabouts of Peg, or Mrs. Hardwick, to use the name by which he knew her. No mode of proceeding likely to secure this result occurred to him, beyond the very obvious one of keeping in the street as much as possible, in the hope that chance might bring him face to face with the object of his pursuit.