The Courage of Sylvia Fulgent.

Evening Star, Issue 9581, 29 December 1894, Page 1 (Supplement)

The Courage of Sylvia Fulgent.

By H. B. FINLAY KNIGHT (Author of a 'Girl,With a Temper'),

-VOLUME 11.

CHAPTER VI,

It came to pass, by a coincidence so curious that it could only have happened in real life, that three of the personages of this story might have been found, on the same day and about the same hour, in consultation with three separate solicitors on three different pieces of important business. We might, indeed, make the coincidence more curious still by saving four instead of three, and including the name of Lance Lister, but as he was in the habit of consulting his uncle nearly every day in the week he must be considered hors concours. Besides, whatever might have been the business that he was discussing on that particular day, it had nothing to do with the fortunes of anybody whom we know, and, therefore, it is not worth while to refer to it further. THE FIBST CONSULTATION. The first of the three to make her appearance in the character of client with important matters to discuss was Sylvia. Her solicitor was a Mr Nesbitt Prince, whose father and grandfather had in their time aeted for the Ftdgents ever since the beginning of the century. He was a youngish, middle-aged man, very well dressed, rather good looking, and still a bachelor. He had nothing at all suggestive of deed boxes about him. He had chambers in Bond street, and managed to combine the man of business with the man of pleasure in a very pleasing and profitable manner. If there were such persons as ladies' lawyers, as there are ladies' doctors, Mr Nesbitt Prince might have reckoned on a large number of clients, for his manner and appearance were such as to put the most timid of women at her ease before she was well seated in that terrible arm chair, in which people suffer tortures, to which those inflicted by the dentist are an agreeable interlude, and'which are alleviated by no anaesthetic. Nobody could speak with him for five minutes without feeling that he was a thorough gentleman, and it had happened more than once that persons who, not knowing 41 that that term implies, had suggested to him a course of action inconsistent with the character had been admonished in such language as to leave them no excuse for ignorance in the future, and had left his room feeling that the next time they had a similar proposal to make they would go to some other solicitor—say, his partner. Mr Prince had just finished distributing instructions for the day's work among his clerks, and was reading that portion of t his correspondence which had heen put aside for further consideration, when Sylvias ca.r&, having bean brought into his room, was followed almost immediately by Sylvia herself. She came in with a very cop), composed demeanor, and shook hands with him with as pleasant a smile as if they were meeting at an "At Home."' Though she was dressed very simply in a tightly-fitting tailor-made gown, with a black hat and gloves, she looked so handsome that she seemed to light up the shabby, dingy old room like a sunbeam in dark tweed.

Now, Mr Prince, in his character of man about town, considered himself a judge of the persons of women, and in his capacity of lawyer a judge of their characters. He had a great admiration for Sylvia, and had once, or perhaps twice, permitted himself to wonder whether, if ever he made up his mind to marry, he should discover that he admired her enough to give her the opportunity of accepting him and the advantages he could offer her. But he was destined never to wonder any more on this point, for no sooner had Sylvia seated herself than she plunged into the business of her visit without wasting time in the general conversation in which he would have liked to engage her. "I'm going to be married, Mr Prince, said Sylvia, without even the pretence of embarrassment which young women are supposed to show when they make that interesting announcement. " Oh, indeed ! Are you really ? said Prince, with a little disappointment in his tone. He would have liked her to remain single on the chancfc that he might some day ask her to marry Aim—but, of course, hs could not explain this to her. " Well, I m sure I wish you every happiness. Do I know the gentleman whom I shall—eh !—have to congratulate so warmly ? : ' " No," said Sylvia, '* I think not. He s a Captain Vignolles." "Captain? Oh! In the Army?' "Well," said Sylvia, smiling, "in the Militia. 1 believe that is considered part of the Army." .. ' " Certainly,"said Prince, whowashimselt a major in the same force, " a very important "The first thing—or one of the first things—l mean to do," said Sylvia, thoughtfully, "will be to make him drop the Captain. He doesn't look it, and he doesn't even try to live up to it." Prince glanced at her quickly. Perhaps if—if things had been different—she might have taken it into her head to try to make him drop something. Not his military rank, for he put that off with his spurs, but something dearer. After all, everything is for the best in this best of all possible worlds. He dismissed the question of military titles, and became all lawyer. ;) '" I suppose you'll have a settlement ? he &sk.6Q "Well," said Sylvia, slowly, " that's one thing I want to ask you about. Is it necessary for a woman to settle her money when she marries?" ~,,,, " No; not at all. But it s advisable.

"Why?" , " Because then the gentleman has to settle some of his—if he has any." " But what's the good of it ?" " Why, this. A man isn't obliged to leave anything to his wife by his will, so that- if he dies his widow may find that he's left her without a penny except what he s settled upon her." " I see," said Sylvia, thoughtfully. " But can't a settlement be made after marriage ? "Oh yes. There are a good many postnuptial settlements—but they're unsaysfactory things." ' . ■ ■ " I've a very special reason,' said oyivia, •'for not wishing to have any discussion about money before we're married"; and she added with a pause: "Captain—Mr Vignolles is very well off, you know." . "I didn't know it before," said Prince, smiling; "but I'm glad to know it now;" "And I think—yes, I'm sure that Id rather the settlement was made afterwards. ' "Clever woman," thought Prince; "thinks she'll be able to coax him into making a better one. If isn't quite what I should have expected from her, though." Be had time to make these reflections while bylvia, occupied in her own thoughts, was drawing patterns on the carpet with the poinfc of her I umbrella. ' . „ " How mucL have I got—exactly t she asked suddenly. Prince went to one of the deed boxes, with which the walls of his room were panelled, and took down a great dusty bundle of papers-tied up with tape that had once been red? and, after searching among them for some minutes, found what he wanted, and gave her the particulars of the railway stock in which the money, which had been appointed to her by her mother, was '""How much is it worth to sell?" asked Sy prince made a abort calculation. Mlt's worth about three thousand five hundred Znds," he said; "but I hope you won't think of changing the investment, especially if Mr Vignolles isn't going to settle wayThing. You won't find a better one. You see, it isn't as though the money wereyours to do what you liW. with. the income for your life, although you can leave it to whom you please. "Yes, I know; but I was toWfive hundred pounds when I marry" said By lvia. Prince picked out a fat bundle of -papers that would have taken a layman a day to read through and a week to understand, and turned over the sheets with a practised bind. In an incredibly short B pace of time be found the part of the deed which he wanted, and read it half aloud:

Provided always . . . said Sylvia Phillips Fulgent . . . marriage . . . be entitled . . . sum of five hundred pounds

. . . receipt said trustees.

. good discharge to the

"Yes," he said, putting it down again; "you're quite right, Miss Fulgent. Your mother was a woman, and sympathised with the feelings of a bride who wants to pay for her trJusseau. As soon as you're married I shall be very happy to give you a cheque for five hundred pounds, and so will your aunt toe, I've no doubt." " " But what has my aunt to do with it?" "Nominally, quite as much as I have," said Prince. "Miss Fulgent and I are the trustees of the marriage settlement of your mother, under which you have this money, and, of course, I can't sell out any of the stock without her signature to the transfer." Sylvia fell back in the armchair, looking like a child whose house of cards, of which the fifth floor is being completed, suddenly falls in ruins to the floor.

"Oh dear! oh dear!" she said dolefully. "I didn't know that. What shall I do now?"

" Didn't you want her to know when you have this money?" asked Prince, with a puzzled frown. Stella did not answer at once, but had recourse to the pattern on the carpet for ! advice. At last she looked up with a delicious smile, that made Prince long to kiss her (which would have been an unpardonable breach of professional etiquette), and said innocently : " Mr Prince, solicitors are like priests, are they not V \ "Eh? Well, not in all respects," said Prince, who, at that moment, was conscious of very unsacerdotal feelings. "They're allowed to marry you know, and they generally know something about business." "Of course I know they're allowed to marry, but I mean that if they're told a thing —in confidence, of course—they never repeat it to anyone, do they ?" "I don't know about solicitors," said Prince, " but gentlemen don't, and; a solicitor is occasionally a gentleman." "Oh ! I know —I know ; but somehow—well, you're too young for me to bo telling you my secrets except as my solicitor,"

"Whatever secret you tell me in any capacity, Miss Fulgent," said Prince, gravely, " you can feel perfectly sure that it will be kept—and that's a great deal more than you could feel if you told it to a parson." " Mine isn't a very dreadful secret after all," said Sylvia, laughing. "It won't be necessary to swear you on the hilt of a dagger not to divulge it. It's only this: That we're going to be married at once, but that we don't want it known just yet. And if I tell my aunt I may a§ well put it in' The Times' and * Morning Post' at once." "But that's curious, isn't it? I suppose you've both of age, and can marry whom you please ?" "Well, the fact is," said Sylvia, hesitating, "Mr Vignolles isn't quite recovered yet from an illness he had last summer, and his doctor tells him he must keep perfectly quiet and have no excitement of any kind, and you know what people are about a wedding; so we've settled to be married without telling anyone, except my brother Fulke, of course, until it's all over."

"But when it wall over—l don't know why you speak of it as if it were an execution—you'll tell Miss Fulgent, I suppose?" " Well, eventually, of course, but, perhaps, not just at first, and besides—now, Mr Prince, this is very serious—J want to have that money of mine directly after I'm married. I can't wait even'a week. Don't ask me what I want it for "

" I shouldn't think of taking such a liberty," interjected Prince. "But see whether you can think of any means of letting me have it. Couldn't you sell out my railway stock without my lunt knowing it? If they want her signature, you could write her name yourself. I'm sure she wouldn't mind."

"Perhaps she wouldn't," said Prince, laughing, " but I should. Are you tired of me as a solicitor, that you're trying to get me struck off the rolls ?"

"I don't know what you mean by that, except that it's something dreadful, and I think it very horrid of you to talk of such things," Sylvia said, pouting. It was only recently that she had learned to pout, and she did not do it quite right. But Prince had never seen her pout before, and he thought she did it charmingly. " How would it be if / were to find you the money?" he said, and the pout melted into a smile of joy. " That would be delightful," said Sylvia ; " I should never know how to thank you enough. Oh, how kind of yon to suggest it. When could I have it ? Not byore I'm married, I suppose; that would be so much more convenient for me?" The girl's anxiety was quite apparent under her smile, and her manner was a little too eager. " Well—no, I'm afraid not," said Prince, who, from mere force of habit, was on his guard directly there was a question of money, and wa3 not to be disarmed even by the pout. " You see, it would be a client of mine who'd lend you the money, and until you were actually married he'd have no security for it, because the marriage mightn't come off after all. But the day after—in fact, as soon as you bring me the marriage certificate—l think I can promise you a cheque." " Are you quite sure ?" " Yes. I can say lam quite sure. You see, the the trustees, have no option in the matter. We're bound to give you this pum on—which means, I take it, immediately after—your marriage. And if Miss Fulgent refuses to concur in selling out when she hears of it, we could have her put in prison." "Fancy Aunt Marian being in prison!" said Sylvia, laughing—really'laughing this time. " They'd have to engage an extra chaplain if she were, for I'm sure sne'd leave the proper one Ho time to attend to the other trustees—convicts, I mean." "About when do you think you'll want this money, then ?" Prince asked. "Before the end of next month ?"

"Before the end of this," said Sylvia. " As we have made up our minds to outrage propriety, we don't mean to lose time in thinking about it. You will have it ready, won't you ? You don't know what a difference it'might make to me for Aunt Marian to know I wanted it. She'd be sure to Srevent me from spending it as I want to o."

" You may depend on having it the moment you bring m'e the certificate," said Prince; and Sylvia, her business being concluded, rose to go. "Believe me, I wish you every happiness," said the lawyer, as he shook hands; and he permitted himself to squeeze his client's fingers ever so slightly, for he was still a little disappointed.

The client rewarded him for the interest he had taken in her with a grateful smile, which she retained until she was quite outside the office.

" That scoundrel Fulke Fulgent's at the bottom of thisj" said' Prince, indignantly, as he threw his papers into a box where they lived. "I feel as certain as if she told me so—a good deal more certain, indeed. Every farthing of that money will go to his creditors, aid Bhe won't buy herself even a wedding dress out of % Of cou;se—l never thought of it before ; and 'that's why she's going to be married on the quiet. What a good girl Bhe must be, to be sure. I wish I had a sister like her." If iVdoubtful whether it would have been a good thing for Prince to have had a Bister like Sylvia; but it is quite certain that it would have been a very good' thing for Sylvia to have had a brother like Prince.

THB SECOND CONSULTATION.

Vignolles had made a special journey into the City for the purpose of seeing his lawyer, Mr Wilson, for he had something on his mind.

" My business won'.t take very long," he said to the solicitor, apologetically, as he glanoed at an unfinished letter that the latter had just laid aside to receive him. In his office Wilson was a man of few words; whenever he could he nodded instead of speaking. He nodded now. "The fact is," Baid Vignolles, "I—l want to make a will"

"Ah," said Wilson, approvingly; "quite right, too." " Yes; it's to be a very short one." " All the better," Wilson said. He knew that half the business in a lawyer's office arises from short wills. He took asheotof draft paper, and wrote at the top "Instructions for will of E.V.," and waited.

"I want to give one person a legacy of ten thousand pounds," said Yignolles, and Wilson looked up in some astonishment. " That's a good deal," he permitted himself to observe.

"Yes—it does seem so," Vignolles said reluctantly; "but. it's most likely he'll never get it;. and when I can't have the money any longer, I'd as soon he had it as anybody else." " All right. What's his name ?" "Well —eh—suppose we leuve it blank for the moment," said Vignolles, hesitating a little.

"All right," Wilson grunted again, and he wrote down : " Legacies. £IO,OOO to of ." " Any more legacies ?" " No. Stop ! I'll leave my executor a hundred pounds. That's usual, isn't it?" Wilson nodded his head.

"One hundred pounds to exor," he murmured, writing down the figures. " Yes. What next?"

" Well, really, that's all. I want to leave all the rest of my property to one other person." Wilson scratched his head with his pen, and looked at his client doubtfully. "Yes," said Vignolles in answer to the look, " I dare say you think it odd, but this is only a temporary sort of an affair. I shall want you to make a much longer one before long. I must come and have a good long talk to you about it; this is only just in case I should get knocked over by a hansom, or smashed up in a railway acoident. Such things do happen, you know." "Very often. All right. What's the name of this person ?" " Leave that blank too, for the moment." " Residuary legatee and devisee—blank," wrote Wilson. " Name of the executor ?"

" Would you mind acting ? You know all about my affairs, you Bee, bo much better than anybody else." " Not at all," said Wilson, aloud ; " I'll act with pleasure "; and he added sotto voce : " Only sensible part of the will." "Ah, thanks! much obliged, I'm sure," said Vignolles, nervously. He could not bear the idea that sooner or later somebody —Wilson or another—would be looking through his deed box and cataloguing his possessions, while he himself was—was not in a position to give him an assistance, and he thought his lawyer's manner unsympathetic, to say the least. However, that

time, fortunately, was a very long way off, and perhaps as it got nearer he should grow more reconciled to the, idea; so he smiled a little,'and said politely: "I hope I shall never have to. trouble you." " I hope so, too," said Wilson—truthfully, it is to be hoped. " Now when do you want to sign this will ?" _ t „ , , " Could I do it to-day ? " Vignolles asked. He hated the subject, and wanted to get it off his mind once for all. " I want it as short as possible, you know." " If you don't mind waiting ten minutes— I can get it ready in that time." Vignolles assented, and Wilson rang the bell for his clerk, and dictated a proper form of will embodying his instructions. "Engross that at once," lie said. "Mr Vignolles is waiting to sign it." . Solicitors in the City have neither time nor inclination to practise the graces of manner of their brethren further westward; so, with a half apology, he turned to his half-finished letter, leaving his client to stare at the almanac o>rer the chimney-piece, and think what a cruel thing it .was that people—that is, he himself—could not go on | living forever. . Iu a wonderfully short time the document was brought in, ready for signing, and Wilson read it through carefully. "The names are not filled in, he remarked ; and Vignolles began to look uncomfortable. , _,„ „,. "I think—if vou don't mind—lll fall those in myself," he said, and Wilson handed him a pen in some surprise. " You see," he went on apologetically, "one may see reason to alter a will, and then-it a a little awkward, you know — f "You needn't explain, Mr Vignolles, said Wilson, stiffly; and he told the clerk to call in one of his fellows, while Vignolles wrote in the names of the .persons who were to benefit so much by his death, and then signed the will. His hand trembled as he did so, and the" turned rather paler than he was before., , " I feel as if I were signing my own death warrant," he said, with a nervous little giggle, which ended in a gasp, and he tool? out his handkerchief to wipe his forehead. Wilson said roughly: "Nonsense'. I know a man who makes afresh will every year-spends Christmas Day in thinking it over, I believe, and signs it on the New Year-what do you think of that ?" "I think he must haye had the nerves of a butcher, the tastes of a grave-digger, and

the conscience of a saint," said Vignolles, "and I'm sorry to Bay I haven't any of the three."

Wilson laughed grimly, and, the will having been witnessed by the two clerks, gave him an envelope. " You'd like to seal it up, I suppose," he said; and Vignolles accordingly did so with his own signet. " There !" he said, giving a sigh of relief. "Thank heaven, that's done; you've told me I ought to make a will, and now 1 hope you're satisfied. And how much are you going to charge me for this ?" " Oh, never mind that now."

"But I should like to know." "Five guineas," snapped Wilson. " Five guineas for that little thing ?" "If you think it's too much to pay for a will that disposes of fifty thousand pounds," said Wilson, gruffly, "all I can say is I don't agree with you." Vignolles would have liked to say something in support of his view of the case, but he was ashamed to do so, and passed it off with a laugh. "I wish I could make five guineas as easily," he said ; and Wilson grunted again. He had an idea that it would take his client a very long time to earn even half that Bum.

Vignolles left the office with a feeling of considerable annoyance at having been, as he thought, overcharged for his business; but he ought to have been glad of the incident, for it changed the curreut of his thoughts, and he went back to the West End grumbling, but happier than he had been when he was going to the City. Surely, happiness is cheap at the price of being a little overcharged—or, if not, why do West End tradesmen flourish so exceedingly ? THE THIRD CONSULTATION. The room in which this took place had very little of the appearance of an office; and, though a great deal of very lucrative business had been transacted there since it had been in the occupation of Mr Louis Mordaunt, nobody would have supposed so who entered it for the first time. It was furnished chiefly with pictures and cigar-boxes, and though one table covered with bundles of papers stood over by the door, another near the fireplace was loaded with wine glasses and other symbols of hospitality, which, it must be owned, had a much pleasanter appearance. There were

a certain number of tin boxes about the place, some of which were decorated with the names of persons more or less distinguished in the "gay" world, while others bore simply a title and an initial, as V The Duke of M.," '-' The Rt. Hon. the Earl of L.," and so on. One very large, imposing box proudly displayed a Crown Royal, and it was a matter of pleasing speculation among such of Mr Mordaunt's clients as were not too much wrapped up in theirown affairs to take an interest in those of other people as to which of the European monarchs it was who was in the habit of consulting their friend. For as a friend Mr Mordaunt always spoke of himself to those who came to him for advice or assistance; and as they were generally badly in need of one, they were compelled to put up with as much friendship as he could give them without for a moment losing sight of his own interests.

In the matter of appearance this amicable person was somewhat at a disadvantage when compared with the respective solicitors of Sylvia and Vignolles. Mr Prince, if he did not look much like a lawyer, looked very much like o, gentleman s and Mr Wilson, though he had not much the appearance of a gentleman, looked every inch a lawyer; but nobody who did not know him could possibly have mistaken Mr Mordaunt for either one or the other. He was a short man with a protuberant stomach, a large fleshy nose and lip, and very dark hair and moustache, the latter of which was carefully waxed at the ends. There was not much fault to find with his dress, except that his boots were too much varnished, and.his button-hole (which he wore all the year round) did not fit him. But he wore an aggressive diamond ring on his right hand, and his scarf-pin was boo valuable to have been honestly come by; altogether you would have judged him to be exactly what he was—a low-class Jew, rhmi.

At the moment when we make his acquaintance he was standing in front of the fire, smoking through a long meerschaum tube a cigar which, from its aroma, should have "been an excellent one. He had the tails of his long frock coat gracefully disposed over bis arms, i>nd looked the per: Bonification of coarse enjoyment and vulgar good nature. In a very comfortable armchair opposite to him sat Fulke Fulgent, looking neither so happy nor so goodnatured as his host. He, too, was smoking a cigar, but it did not seem to be quite such a good

one as Mr Mordaunt's; at least, it did not seem to give its Bmoker nearly so muoh pleasure. • " Well, I did think you'd do it for me," said Fulke, sulkily, M-After all. I've paid you—and such a little one too—only a century." Mr Mordaunt shook his head -and blew a spiral of smoke from between his fat lips. " Can't help it, dear boy," he said, without any pretence of regret; " money?s so awfully tight just now, and we must look after ourselves a. bit. / don't know what things are coming to, I'm sure. What do you think I proved for under Luxborough'*! bankruptcy only last week ?" " Five times as much as he owed you, I've no doubt,'' growled Fulke. " Sixteen thousand five 'undred," Baid Mr Mordaunt, impressively, "and he never came to us till last year." "And you've no security? Tell that to the marines.-"

I "Well, I don't say—we've got some policies, of course, and we've got the pleasure of keeping them up, too." i " You won't have to keep them up long," said Fulke. "If Luxborough doesn't take such a pull at himself as will pretty near pull his-'—head off he won't last two years longer." I " Well, of course we must hope for the best," said Mordaunt, piously. " I'd a fine job to get 'em to take him at the office. I'd to pay Kerr a double commission, if you please." " I can't think how you managed at all," Fulke said, enviously. "Everybody knows he has had D.T.'s twice—once before and once since he came into the peerage." "Kerr took him down to the seaside," said Mordaunt, smiling mysteriously, " and his brother too, young Lacy, who's only had 'em once. I don't know how they managed it. It wasn't my business to ask. 'All I know is that they did it somehow between 'em." "And it was you who made him bankrupt, wasn't it ? " "It was my client," said Mordaunt coolly. " And quite time he did." "Hang Luxborough!" said Fulke impatiently. "I want to know why you won't do this iittle bit for me." , " What a chap you are for money," said Mordaunt. " There's that bill of yours for four 'undred falling due next month. I suppose you'll be wanting to renew that ? "

H.e looked keenly at Fulke, but that gentleman never moved a muscle of his face.

" Oh, no, I shan't," he said. " I've made that quite right—it'll be taken up most likely before it's due." "I'm not afraid of it," said Mordaunt. "Mr Vignolles's name's good enough for me." -

" Well, then, can't you do this for me? He's going to marry my sister, and it isn't likely he'd let me be made bankrupt for a miserable hundred."

"No ? Then why don't you get him to join you in it ? If you do that I r ll get you the»money at once." «D—— it all!" cried Fulke, losing his temper. "I can't be always bothering him about money. Have a little consideration for a fellow." « Can't do it on any other terms," Mordaunt said, shaking his head. " Why don't you try ? He can but say ' No,'" "Oh, can't he?" answered Fulke. "He can say a good deal more than that." He sat frowning and biting at the end of his cigar for a few minutes, and at last said, without looking at Mordaunt: "Well, I might try, as you say. Have you got a bill stamp?" . . , , Mordaunt went to an escritoire ana took out a form of bill of exchange, and began to fill it up, while Fulke watched him with his lips twitching a little. "There," said the other, when he had finished. " I suppose you want the century clear, so I've made it a 'undred and fifty at three months. There it is." "Why, that's 200 per cent." said Fulke ruefully. " You've never charged me more than 150 before." "Is it? Ah, what a head you've got for figures. I daresay it is something like that. But it won't be you who'll pay it, you know." , , „ , i.'V Fulke did know perfectly well, but he did not like to be reminded of it all the sanie. He put the bill in his pocket and rose to go. " I suppose you can let me have the money directly I bring this back ?" he said doubtfully. " None of your tricks, you know." , , „ ~ very minute, my dear boy," said Mordaunt cheerfully. "Give you a cheque at once," «. ghat's alltight, then," said Fulke. "I*ll see >yha> I can dp. Haven't you got a .pint bottle of the Poy knocking about anywnere?" he added, for he wanted a pick-me-up badly. ~' .

I " Afraid I'm out of ohampagne to-day," Mordannt said. " I shall have some more in by the time you bring that hack." He spoke with scarcely concealed insolence, and Fulko understood that for the present .it was not considered worth while to be civil .to him even to the, extent of four and sixpence. However, he could not afford to resent Mordaunt's manner, so he took up his hat, and the two-rascals shook hands and parted. \ The moment Fulke had left the room another financier, much younger than Mordaunt, but bearing a great likeness to him, came through another door. "Taken in with him? "he asked with a smile, and Mordannt j>irt nodded and took another cigar. "I suppose it's all right?" flaid the newcomer reflectively. " Well, you made the inquiries; you ought to know." "Oh, that's all right I was only thinking whether perhaps he might serve us the same as St. John Charters did."

" How do you mean ? " . The younger man put himself into an attitude as of one holding a pistol to his head ; then he made a click with his tongue and let his head fall on his shoulder—a pleasing little pantomime, j Mr Mordaunt smiled at his son's humor, and then shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. " Not a chance of it," he said, Bhaking his head. "He ain't that sort—not while he's got an aunt and a'sister to go to." ( To be continued. J