delirious sufferer herself. Poor
people! they had trouble enough on them not to need any more just now!
so she kept her own counsel, even from Jemima.

This was the more easy to do because she knew nothing either of Reginald
or his doings beyond what her son had hinted, and as Samuel was at
present in the country on business, she had no opportunity of
prosecuting her inquiries on the subject.

Sam, in fact, whether he liked it or not, happened just now to hold the
fortunes of the family of Cruden pretty much in his own hands.

A few days before the conversation with his mother already reported, he
had been sitting in his room at the office, his partner and the head
clerk both being absent on County Court business.

Samuel felt all the dignity of a commander-in-chief, and was therefore
not at all displeased when the office-boy had come and knocked at his
door, and said that a lady of the name of Wrigley had called, and wished
to see him.

"Show the lady in," said Sam grandly, "and put a chair."

Mrs Wrigley was accordingly ushered in, the dust of travel still on
her, for she had come direct from Liverpool by the night train,
determined to put her wrongs in the hands of the law. Mr Crawley,
Samuel's principal, had been legal adviser to the late Mr Wrigley; it
was only natural, therefore, that the widow, not liking to entrust her
secret to the pettifogging practitioner of her own village, should make
use of a two hours' break in her journey to seek his aid.

"Your master's not in, young man?" said she, as she took the proffered
seat. "That's a pity."

"I'm sure he'll be very sorry," said Sam; "but if it's anything I can
do--"

"If you can save poor defenceless women from being plundered, and punish
those that plunder them--then you can."

Here was a slice of luck for Samuel! The first bit of practice on his
own account that had ever fallen in his way. If he did not make a good
thing out of it his initials were not S.S.!

He drew his chair confidentially beside that of the injured Mrs
Wrigley, and drank in the story of her woes with an interest that quite
won her heart. At first he failed to recognise either the name of the
delinquent Corporation or its secretary, but when presently his client
produced one of the identical circulars sent out, with the name Cruden
Reginald at the foot, his professional instincts told him he had
discovered a "real job, and no mistake."

He made Mrs Wrigley go back and beg