tone in which he had addressed the other
attorney. "I might condole with you on
the prospect of losing your legacy if I were
of Mr. Simpson's opinion on this matter.
Though upon my word I never saw a
gentleman let two thousand pounds slide
through his fingers with greater equanimity,
or make less effort to keep them!"

When Messieurs Simpson and Lane had
departed, Mr. Lovegrove got up and began
pacing about the office. Suddenly he
stopped opposite to Hugh, and addressed
him.

"Do you mean to say, that Miss Desmond
urged you to come and say what you
have said to that woman's attorney?"

"She did, most earnestly."

"And you, well knowing what interests
were at stake, were fool enough to do it!"

"Mr. Lovegrove, what I said was the
truth. It might as well be told first as
last."

"No, it might not! And who knows
whether it ever need have been told at all?
I should have taken a very different tone
with this self-styled Lady Gale. I believe
if she had been thoroughly frightened and
bullied she would not have dared to talk of
going to law!"

"But if she had dared——"

"Well, I would have fought her."

"That is just what Maud desired to
avoid."

"Desired to avoid? Desired to——
Miss Desmond desired to avoid running
any risk of inheriting a fine fortune duly
and legitimately bequeathed to her?"

"You know what her life has been. You
know that Mr. Levincourt and his daughter
have been like a father and a sister to her
from her babyhood. And as to Sir John
Gale's money, she says she felt as though
it would bring a curse with it."

"Trash! No money brings a curse that
is honestly come by." .

"This would not have been honestly
come by. I believe that Veronica Levincourt
can prove herself to have been duly
married to Sir John Gale. And it would
be inexpressibly painful and shocking to
Maud and to others to force her to prove it
in a court of law."

"Well, Mr. Lockwood," said Lovegrove,
after a minute or two's pause, " it is clearly
no concern of mine. But I am interested
in Miss Desmond for auld lang syne. I
knew her mother. And she is a very sweet,
and I thoroughly believe, a very good
young lady. Frost will be sorry too——
However, I suppose we cannot interfere."

"Mr. Frost will not be surprised: for I
mentioned something of this to him before."

"You did?"

"Yes. Well now, Mr. Lovegrove, I
must thank you very heartily for the
sincerity and kindness with which you
espoused Miss Desmond's cause. She will
be very grateful. She goes away with her
guardian the day after to-morrow. And it
is her great effort to keep all this painful
business from him for the present. He
knows nothing of it as yet. He has lived
quite secluded in my mother's house
since he came up to attend Lady Tallis's
funeral."

"Mr. Levincourt does not know ——?"

"Not a word. When they are in the
country she will tell him as much as is
needful."

"I wish Mrs. Desmond had appointed
me guardian to her daughter, instead of——
but it can't be helped. It's an ill wind
that blows nobody good! The new Lady
Gale will just walk over the course, I
suppose. She is clever: or somebody is
clever for her. Mr. Lane has been
marvellously converted to the side of what he
calls ' law and justice.'"

"I presume he was convinced that he
could not fight for the will against the
evidence they brought."

"I presume that Sir Matthew Gale and
this lady have been able to convince him
that it would be quite as much for his interest
to let his two thousand pounds go
quietly as to struggle for them. He does
not seem to have had any strong desire to
carry out his late patron's wishes."

"I do not believe that desire was
possible in the breast of any human being
employed by Sir John Tallis Gale!"

"Well, for a man who had his own way,
as far as I can learn, all his life, it must be
admitted that his power broke down
altogether at the last in a very strange—I
should be inclined to say marvellous—
manner."

"And when a man's ' way ' is such as
his was, I don't know that there is much
cause to feel surprise at his plans proving
barren and futile."

CHAPTER VII. SUCCESS.

CESARE had understood partially, how
desirable a thing it was for Veronica to be
acknowledged by Sir Matthew Gale. But
in his ennui and ill-humour he was inclined
to be captious and jealous.

"You could receive those men without