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' you think that nothing can be done down there?' said Mr. Furnival to his clerk, immediately after the return of Mr. Crabwitz from Hamworth to London.

'Nothing at all, sir,' said Mr. Crabwitz, with laconic significance.

'Well; I dare say not. If the matter could have been arranged at a reasonable cost, without annoyance to my friend Lady Mason, I should have been glad; but, on the whole, it will perhaps be better that the law should take its course. She will suffer a good deal, but she will be the safer for it afterwards.'

'Mr. Furnival, I went so far as to offer a thousand pounds!'

'A thousand pounds! Then they'll think we're afraid of them.'

'Not a bit more than they did before. Though I offered the money, he doesn't know the least that the offer came from our side. But I'll tell you what it is, Mr. Furnival—. I suppose I may speak my mind.'

'Oh, yes! But remember this, Crabwitz; Lady Mason is no more in danger of losing the property than you are. It is a most vexatious thing, but there can be no doubt as to what the result will be.'

'Well, Mr. Furnival,—I don't know.'

'In such matters, I am tolerably well able to form an opinion.'

'Oh, certainly!'

'And that's my opinion. Now I shall be very glad to hear yours.'

'My opinion is this, Mr. Furnival, that Sir Joseph never made that codicil.'

'And what makes you think so?'

'The whole course of the evidence. It's quite clear there was another deed executed that day, and witnessed by Bolster and Kenneby. Had there been two documents for them to witness, they would have remembered it so soon after the occurrence.'

'Well, Crabwitz, I differ from you,—differ from you in totototo. [sic] But keep your opinion to yourself, that's all. I've no doubt you did the best for us you could down at Hamworth, and I'm much obliged to you. You'll find we've got our hands quite full again,