The vial was drained. He looked in her face again with a smile. "If this is indeed a dream, my Minna, may I never
awaken--dear--dear--one--I--I--"

[Illustration: Tobias Restored To His Senses By Minna's Assistance.] He fell back upon the pillow. The smile still lingered upon his face,
but the narcotic which the surgeon had had administered to him had
produced its effect, and the enfeebled Tobias fell into deep sleep. Minna Gray looked rather alarmed at this sudden falling off of Tobias
from waking to sleeping, but the surgeon quieted her fears. "All is right," he said. "He will awaken in some hours wonderfully
refreshed, and I have the pleasure of now predicting his perfect cure." "You do not know," said Colonel Jeffery, "what pleasure that assurance
gives me." "And me," said the captain. Minna looked all that she thought, but she could not speak, and Mrs.
Ragg, still kept up the mysterious noise she produced by hard breathing
with her mouth close shut. "Now, madam," said the surgeon to her, "our young friend must be left
alone for some hours. It is now six o'clock, and I do not expect he will
awaken until twelve. When he does so, I am very much mistaken if you do
not all of you find him perfectly restored and composed, although very
weak." "I will take care to be at hand," said the colonel. "Miss Gray, perhaps
you will call and see how he is to-morrow, and all I can say is, that
you will be quite welcome to my house whenever you think proper, but let
me impress upon you one thing." "What is it, sir?" "The absolute necessity of your keeping Tobias's place of abode and
anything concerning him a most profound secret." "I will do so." "If you do not, you will not only endanger the cause of justice, but in
all probability his life, for he has an enemy with great resources, and
of the most unscrupulous disposition in the use of them: I say this much
to you, because the least indiscretion might be fatal." "I will guard the secret, sir, as I would guard his life." "That will do--now come down stairs, and let us have a glass of wine to
drink to the speedy restoration to perfect health of Tobias. Come,
Rathbone, what do you think? Shall we be one too many yet for Todd?" "I begin to think we shall." "I feel certain of it. So soon as we see that Tobias is sufficiently
well to make any statement, it will be necessary to send for Sir Richard
Blunt." "Certainly." "And then I hope and trust that we shall get at something that will
elucidate the mystery that is still attached to the fate of poor
Thornhill." "Ah, I fear he is gone!" "Dead?" "Yes. That fatal string of pearls has heralded him to death, I fear;
but, perhaps we shall hear a something concerning that yet from Tobias." They all sat down in the drawing-room, and with tearful pleasure Minna
Gray drank a glass of wine to the health of Tobias, after which Mrs.
Ragg saw her home again to Milford Lane, and no doubt all the road from
this colonel's house to there did not want for a prolific subject of
conversation. How happy Minna felt when she put up to Heaven her simple
prayer that night, previous to seeking repose. CHAPTER XLVIII. JOHANNA MAKES A NEW CONFIDANT. We left the spectacle-maker and his family rather in a state of
confusion. Big Ben the Beef-eater had had his revenge upon both Mrs.
Oakley and the Saint, and it was a revenge that really did them no harm,
so that in that respect it had turned out well. The Rev. Josiah Lupin
did not return to the house, but Mrs. Oakley, in a terrible state of
prostration from the effects of the sickness that had come over her,
staggered again into the parlour. She looked at Mr. Oakley, as she
said--

"If you were half a man you would take the life of that villain for
treating me in the way he has; I have no doubt but he meant to take the
life of the pious Mr. Lupin, and so add him to the list of martyrs." "My dear," said the spectacle-maker, "if Mr. Lupin intrudes himself into
my house, and any friend of mine turns him out, I am very much obliged
to him." "Perhaps you would be equally obliged to this monster, whom you call
your friend, if he would turn me out?" Mr. Oakley shook his head as he said--

"My dear, there are some burthens which can be got rid of, and some that
must be borne." "Come--come, Mother Oakley," said Ben. "Don't bear malice. You played me
a trick the last time I came here, and now I have played you one. That's
all. It wasn't in human nature not to do it, so don't bear malice." Mrs. Oakley, if she had been in a condition to do so, no doubt would
have carried on the war with Big Ben, but she decidedly was not, and
after a shudder or two, which looked as though she thought the toad was
beginning again to oppress her, she rose to leave the room. "Mother," said Johanna, "it was not a real toad." "But you are!" said Mrs. Oakley, sharply. "You have no more feeling for
your mother than as if she were a brickbat." Feeling now that at all events she had had the last word at somebody,
Mrs. Oakley made a precipitate retreat, and sought the consolations and
solitude of her own chamber. Mr. Oakley was about to make some speech,
which he prefaced with a sigh, when some one coming into the shop called
his attention, and he left Johanna and Big Ben the Beef-eater together
in the parlour. The moment they were alone, Ben began shaking his head
and making some very mysterious signs, which completely mystified
Johanna. Indeed she began to be afraid that Ben's intellects were not
quite right, although an ordinary observer might have very well supposed
there was something the matter with his nether garments, for he pointed
to them repeatedly, and shook his head at Johanna. "What is the matter, cousin?" she said. "Oh, dear!--oh, dear!--oh--oh--oh!" "Are you ill?" "No, but I only wonder as you ain't. Didn't I see you in Fleet-street
with these here on?--oh!--oh!--not these here exactly, but another pair. These would be a trifle too large for you. Oh, dear-a-me! my heart bled
all for to see such a young and delicate little puss as you a taking to
wear the thingamies so soon." Johanna now began to understand what Ben meant, namely, that he had seen
her in Fleet-street disguised in male attire, with her young friend
Arabella Wilmot. "Oh, Ben," she said, "you must not think ill of me on that account." "But--but," said Ben, rather hesitatingly, as if he were only putting a
doubtful proposition, "wasn't it rather unusual?" "Yes, Ben, but there were reasons why I put on such garments. Surely it
was better to do so than--than--to--"

"Than to go without any?" said Ben. "No--no, I did not say that--I mean it was better for me to forget a
little of that maiden delicacy which--which--than to let him--"

She burst into tears. "Holloa!" cried Ben, as he immediately folded her in an immense embrace,
that went very near to smothering her. "Don't you cry, and you may wear
what you like, and I'll come and help you to put 'em on. Come, come,
there's a nice little dear, don't you cry. Lord bless you!