"Sir!  Mr. Ross!" said the solicitor, starting.

"Yes," said Ross, "I am waiting for him.
He'll be here, and, witness or no witness, I'll
stand by him, and by what he says. He's in
the town at this moment, or should be. My
goodness, what's that? I declare if it isn't——-"
and he ran out of the room.

The attorney, still fuming, got up and went
to the window. There was a cab with luggage
at the gate. In a moment Ross had come back,
had thrown the door open, and had entered.
"There, there!" he said, triumphantly. "Look
at him! This is the man of his word. He was
to be here to-morrow, and he is here before his
time, and—successful."

"Successful!" cried the two attorneys
together, and with a start.

CHAPTER VI. AMONG THE TILNEYS.

THE gentleman who entered with him took
off a sort of poncho very leisurely. Then they
saw a tall but stooping man, with a long bony
face, which seemed inflamed round the cheekbones,
either with the sun or with drinking. He
had a lanky ragged moustache hanging down
over his lips, and bright though " watery" eyes.
"A regular council!" he said. "Easier work,
I can tell you, than what I have been at."

"Now, Grainger," said Ross, eagerly, " speak
out, and don't be afraid of any one here." (The
other smiled and looked on them a little
contemptuously.) "Speak out. Every one of
these wise heads have been at me, including
the demure gentlemen just come down from
London. They have been screaming and chattering,
' Settle, settle,' until you would think you
were in a cage of parrots. Now what do you
say? You have as much right to be heard as
any of them."

"I think so," answered his friend, coldly.
"Well, I say DON'T—not if your mother was
to tell you on her dying bed. Do nothing of
the kind. Don't mind 'em, these legal friends
of yours, whom I see in such force here. They
have their reasons, of course. But don't mind
them."

"Then you will take your own course, Mr.
Ross, your own course," said the professional
voices. The owners of the professional voices
were standing up to go.

"I certainly shall," said Mr. Ross, " and I
mean to do so. And you shall take the course I
take, Messrs. Cater and Dawkins, unless I am
very much mistaken. I should like to see you
when I stand up in court, and tell the judge that
my solicitors have thrown up my case on the eve
of the assizes, simply because I wouldn't
compromise it! And also when I hand up to his
lordship a note, showing the speculative
character of your professional assistance. No, no,
Messrs. Cater and Dawkins. You will think it
over, and you will act as your client instructs
you. And now once for all, don't worry me any
more. And know all of you by these presents,
to use your own jargon, I shall go on and on,
and on again, and fight the thing to the death.
So long as I have a breath in me, I will. It
gives me life and enjoyment. I like playing
double or quits. It's my fancy. I've taken this
thing up, and worked it myself so far, and, if you
please, shall work it my own way. So now please
tell Mr. Bacon that your client declines all
compromise. There. I have an appointment at the
barracks now."

He strode out of the room. After a moment's
pause: " That's sensible," said Mr. Cater.
"That's what we may call genteel. There's
a nice specimen of the relation that should
exist between solicitor and client. But let
him go on. Let him take his own course.
I wash my hands of the whole thing—that is, of
all responsibility," he added, thus showing that
Mr. Ross had stated the indissoluble nature of
this relation, and the view the judge would
take of it, quite correctly. " Then there is no
further reason for our staying. Good night,
good night. It is very melancholy to see such
an exhibition. Even the lesson he seems to
have got to-night—for it is plain lie has been in
some street row—no matter. Good night to
you, ladies. We shall just catch the train."
And the two gentlemen went away.

"A thousand per annum," said Mr. Tilney,
coming back; " only think of that. It seems
like a dream, a sane man refusing it. It seems
quite a dream."

Thus the professional men went away, and
the family, as if relieved from a burden, and
now disengaged from the practical, turned to
Mr. Tillotson. Every face took down its
shutters, and put its best goods in the window,
and Mrs. Tilney promptly repaired the horrible
omission of social forms.

Mr. Tilney felt that a fresh introduction was
necessary.

"I met this gentleman, whom I—I know—and
just brought him up. Maria, my dear, Mr.
Tillotson. These are my girls, Mr. Tillotson—
Augusta and Julia."

On Mr. Tilney's mouth the rays of a
mysterious intelligence beamed out with unusual
effulgence. The " girls" met him with joyous alacrity.
For Mr. Tilney's proceedings were so perfectly
understood in his own family, that it was well
known that every article he introduced was
guaranteed. They read in the creases of his
forehead, in his large grey eyes—even the Roman
nose seemed to give warning—that this was a
valuable stranger.

"Sit down near me, Mr. Tillotson," said Mrs.
Tilney, "and tell me about yourself, now that
we are rid of that dreadful man. So you are
come to stay here." (This she had read off, on
her husband s forehead.)

Mr. Tillotson, scarcely recovered from his
embarrassment, answered: " Only for a few days.
I should like to stay longer. It seems such an
inviting place——-"

"Only a few days?" said Mrs. Tilney, uneasily.
"Why I thought——-" and she was almost going
to add, " Mr. Tilney had conveyed to us that you
were a desirable object to invest capital in,"