“So he said,” rejoined our hero; “and that finding these parchments lying near the box, and with them some letters, one of which, he said, was directed to Lady Julia L⸺, he thought it most prudent to bring all to this house. On glancing at the parchments,” continued Fitz-Ullin, “which, as the little man concluded his recital, he produced and offered to me, and which bore their titles, in large characters, on their outsides, I perceived immediately their nature and importance; and decided on returning to Lodore, for the purpose of assisting Lady Oswald to establish the rights of Arthur, rendered, by the recovery of these documents, indisputable. As for the letters, I should have considered it an unwarrantable liberty in me to have examined even their outsides; I therefore recommended it to Gotterimo to deliver them himself, with the box, into Lady Julia’s own hands. This arrangement made, I returned as quickly as possible, and—”
“And, on your arrival,” interrupted Lady Oswald, who was now a little recovered, “forgot the very existence of Lady Oswald, title-deeds, pedlar and all! This account of the transaction, oh learned judges, wants that consistency which is characteristic of the simple truth,” added her ladyship, much amused.
Fitz-Ullin, who was saying something aside to Julia, coloured, laughed, and replied, “I read the deeds over very attentively, I assure you, ma’am, in the library, on my first getting out of the carriage, before I came into the breakfast-room.”
“Oh then, it was in the breakfast-room you happened to forget me and my parchments,” said Lady Oswald, with a significant look.
“What have we got here?” exclaimed Lord L⸺, examining a packet of the parchments, which proved to be distinct from the rest, though contained within the same outer envelope of grey linen, “why, here are the title-deeds of the Craigs!”
“Indeed! indeed!” cried various voices.
Gotterimo was now called for. “He was very useful in the recovery of the pictures and plate,” observed Lord L⸺. “By the bye, Fitz-Ullin,” he added, turning to our hero, “did you ever hear us mention that daring robbery at the Craigs?”
“Oh, yes,” replied our hero, “I was one of the luncheon party there the day it was discovered.” As he concluded, he looked at Julia, who looked again and smiled. What multitudes of thoughts, on both sides, crowded into that moment. “Well,” said Lord L⸺, “it was chiefly through the means of this Gotterimo, that the things have been recovered. He found out for us the persons to whom the swindler had pawned the articles, and though at the expense certainly of some of the savings of minority, we have succeeded in getting almost every thing into its place again.”
Gotterimo, who had been sent for, was now ushered in. Every one welcomed and thanked him, and commendations of his honourable and upright conduct, accompanied by assurances that his services should be handsomely rewarded, were poured upon him on all sides. The little English he possessed, was banished from his memory, bows and blushes were all the replies he could offer. The gentlemen then proceeded to question him respecting the mode of discovering the parchments, letters, &c. He could give little more information than had already been collected. After the particulars, therefore, were all recapitulated by him connectedly and at full length, he was dismissed, and commended to the care of Mrs. Smyth, a destination to which he had no objection, for poor Gotterimo had lately begun to have some hopes of rendering himself agreeable in the eyes of Alice Smyth, who was already very agreeable in his eyes.