ing?" said a bland, stout gentleman,
rising from before a table strewn with papers. "Pray be seated, madam."

Leonard drew from his pocket a copy of the weekly "Times" and handed it
to him, saying:

"I understand that you inserted this advertisement."

"Certainly we did," answered the lawyer after glancing at it. "Do you
bring me any news of Mr. Leonard Outram?"

"Yes, I do. I am he, and this lady is my wife."

The lawyer bowed politely. "This is most fortunate," he said; "we had
almost given up hope--but, of course, some proofs of identity will be
required."

"I think that they can be furnished to your satisfaction," answered
Leonard briefly. "Meanwhile, for the sake of argument, perhaps you will
assume that I am the person whom I state myself to be, and inform me to
what this advertisement refers."

"Certainly," answered the lawyer, "there can be no harm in that. Sir
Thomas Outram, the late baronet, as you are doubtless aware, had two
sons, Thomas and Leonard. Leonard, the second son, as a young man was
engaged to, or rather had some love entanglement with, a lady--really I
forget her maiden name, but perhaps you can inform me of it----"

"Do you happen to mean Miss Jane Beach?" said Leonard quietly.

At this point Juanna turned in her chair and became extraordinarily,
indeed almost fiercely, interested in the conversation.

"Quite so; Beach was the name. You must excuse my forgetfulness. Well,
Sir Thomas's affairs fell into confusion, and after their father's death
Mr. Leonard Outram, with his elder brother Thomas, emigrated to South
Africa. In that same year Miss Jane--eh--Beach married a client of ours,
Mr. Cohen, whose father had purchased the estate of Outram from the
trustees in bankruptcy."

"Indeed!" said Leonard.

"Shortly afterwards," went on the lawyer, "Mr. Cohen, or rather Sir
Jonas Cohen, succeeded to the estate on the death of his father. Two
years ago he died leaving all his property, real and personal, to his
only child, a daughter named Jane, with reversion to his widow in fee
simple. Within a month of his death the child Jane died also, and nine
months later her mother, Lady Cohen, _nee_ Jane Beach, followed her to
the grave."

"Yes," said Leonard in a dull voice, and hiding his face in his hand;
"go on, sir."

"Lady Cohen made a somewhat peculiar will. Under the terms of that will
she bequeaths the mansion house and estates of Outram, together with
most of her personal property, a