The Portland daily press., 1881-03-22

l huob SO DtCh W Hill. NV nat snail
say to him?"
"Yes, Tom; am too ill. / don't know.
He must prove his identity up to the hilt,
that's clear. If he does, perhaps he'll accept
compromise. But then, he says he's mar
ried. Tom, this case must be fought, tooth
and nail. hate tricks; but, hang it! there's
nothing wouldn't do to keep the Brambles
for little Peggy-Mrs. Viner that is to be.
Well, you go to him, say nothing about the
value of the estate, and tell him to prove
| every word he has said to you. And get his
address, and put the detectives on him up
in town Don't let him think you're ner-
vous, Tom. Be cool, and don't admit that
two and two are four"
| When went back to the office I found
half the whiskey gone; but the man still
| there. hope l acted coolly, at any rate, l
committed myself to nothing, gave no infor-
nation, and told Mr. Horace Jones that /
| should require clear proof of his identity be-
tore taking any further steps in the matter
l lent him guinea for the sake of keeping
my eye on him till l saw him off by the next
| train.
The time went by, until at last / began to
Halter myself that nothing more was going
to happen, and that Mr.. Horace Jones had
been nothing but scarecrow, whose only
object had been to bewilder lawyer out of
| guinea. But after calm comes-what
| we know.
1t was Mr. Evelyn Viner himself who
came one day into my Office with letter.
what in the name of impudence is the
| meaning of this?' asked he
The storm had broken at last 1t was a
| letter from highly respectable legal firm in
| London to Miss Jones herself, asking her to
name an attorney who would receive for her
| notice of declaration of ejectment, accord
| ing to the old procedure What did it mean?
1u hat I'D
ed respectable firm of his identity and his
right-no doubt backed by counsePs opinion
OF his right to the Brambles as heir at-law
| to John Jones; that he had found out for
himself the value of the estate and that he
meant to take no compromise and give no
| quarter. Indeed, there was no earthly rea-
son why he should, if his story were true.
1t was, of course, exceedingly inconveni-
ent that l, in my fathers state of health,
| should be up in town and away from the Of
nee for even day or two But there was no
| help for it. Such a case demanded our most
| extreme personal attention, and my father
would not be satisfied without conference
with Mr.. Winter. Happily, we had no 9TH
| er business on hand that was Immediately
| pressing. So l left our managing clerk in
charge; arranged that all letters and clients
that could not be put off should be brought
or sent to my father at his house; gave Mus
W, 1OA lOiiu SAM, d iOb VI WOIh budb WOulu
keep him for many months, with strict in
| functions to let me find it finished by my re-
turn, and travelled up to London.
l must own that Messrs. Heath & Crane,
| who were the claimants attorneys, met me
| in the most open and straightforward man.
ner. They concealed nothing, and showed
no symptoms of wishing to take us by sur
prise. They were not even anxious that Miss
Jones should give up the Brambles without
finh ipn. nv,% 1,on <I,Nxy ,,aI 10
| wish for verdict so as to establish their eli
ents title beyond any possibility of future
| cavil.
However, my father would never forgive
me if 1 came back without having done my
best-I believe that the dear old gentleman
would have dissolved partnership with any
man who was clever enough to know when
he was beaten. The worst of 1t was that a
conference with Mr.. Winter was almost as
difficult to obtain as an interview with royal
| ty. After world of importunate patience,
till expect his clerk nearly hated the sight
! OF me. l obtained an appointment for 11:15
o'clock at night, at his own private house in
| Russell Square. l was punctual to the min
| ute, you may be sure, and found the great
| junior busily engaged in reading a-novel.
1t seemed as homogeneous as finding Dick
Musty over Blackstone.
In my own mind had foreseen what Mr..
was not a Burgham man, and had no oppor-
tunity of falling in love with Miss Margaret
Jones. He had taken the view of man of
sense, and his view was final. We simply
had not leg, not even toe, to stand upon.
Poor Miss Margaret must lose every penny
she had, her husband must work for his
bread, and the Brambles must 60 to Mr.. and
Mrs. Horace Jones and their gutter-children
after them, to drunken scamp and mulat-
to camp-follower.
Poets are not the only people, who, when
they are in professional difficulty, stare up
at the stars. did. was in the lane which
led from High street, past our office dooor,
into st. MichaePs yard, when l looked to-
warns the Great Bear, and saw-a light in
the window of my fathers room.
My first Impulse was to 60 home and see if
my father was safe in his room. But on sec
ond thoughts made up my mind that the
best thing could do was to open it quietly,
enter it in matter-of-fact way, and if. as
impossibility itself could not keep me from
fearing, found my father, make believe
that there was nothing out of the way in
the situation. 1 would simply ask him if he
did not think it time to shut up the office
and come home. So pulled back the out
er door of green baize and opened the in
ner, and at first, coming so suddenly out of
the pitch darkness, was too dazzled by the
candle light to understand clearly what 1
saw. The candle had not gone out when l
came in.
1t was not, thank God, my father, haunt
Ing his office at midnight in state of over
strung nerves. 1t was not the housekeeper,
who ought to be 10 bed and asleep, and was
NO doubt doing her duty. 1t was Richard
Musty-Richard Musty, sitting at midnight
at my fathers table in my fathers chair,
with a candle before him, and half his face
buried in his hands.
Had he gone crazed? But did not think
of that then. The possibility of crime was
more in my mind. went up to him and
brought my hand down heavily between his
shoulders.
"What the devil" cried out. ''are you
doing bere?''
He merely turned round and faced me with
the saddest, most hopeless look had ever
seen.
81 did not expect you," was all he said.
''But it doesn't matter now"
81 suppose ought not to crcss-examine
you, but must either do that or send for
the police, it seems to me. And for your
mothers sake / should like to avoid that, if
l CAM
"Then-then 1 will tell you,'' he said
neutrality-suspicious. have done what law
yer, mere lawyer like yourself, would call
wrong, technically wrong. l am not mere
lawyer, MI. hey.
ga mere lawyer? never knew you were
lawyer at ALL said /. "But unluckily. it is
mere lawyers who have to define burglary
and"
II am not a burglarv' said Musty, show
ing little spirit for the first time. II have
been here every night, that is true. 1t was
the only time at which l could have suffi-
Gent access to your fathers room. But my
means OF access were not what you suppose.
never used to leave the premises-that is
all Before the hour for closing 1 used to
hide in that closet, which your fathers alb
sence made it perfectly easy for me to do.
MIR. z erritt and the clerks of course used to |
think had gone away for the day. |
Your fathers room door was never really |
locked, for suppose it was forgotten either
when he was taken ill, or else when you |
you went away, and nobody thought of it
afterwards, not even Mr.. Merritt, though he |
used to find the door unlocked whenever he |
came at night. It's curious what stupid |
people some lawyers are. Just because it was
supposed not to want locking at the |
right time, nobody seemed to think it odd |
that it was found unlocked at the wrong |
one. No mere metaphysician would have |
mo do = |