andeville; and if you wouldn't mind leaving the thing afterward
entirely in my hands--?"

"I'll leave it in your hands, sir, with all the pleasure in life," said
Pedgift Junior. ("And I'll lay five to one," he added, mentally, "when
the time comes, you'll leave it in mine!") "We'll go to Bayswater
together, Mr. Armadale, to-morrow morning. In the meantime here's the
soup. The case now before the court is, Pleasure versus Business. I
don't know what you say, sir; I say, without a moment's hesitation,
Verdict for the plaintiff. Let us gather our rosebuds while we may.
Excuse my high spirits, Mr. Armadale. Though buried in the country, I
was made for a London life; the very air of the metropolis intoxicates
me." With that avowal the irresistible Pedgift placed a chair for
his patron, and issued his orders cheerfully to his viceroy, the
head-waiter. "Iced punch, William, after the soup. I answer for the
punch, Mr. Armadale; it's made after a recipe of my great-uncle's. He
kept a tavern, and founded the fortunes of the family. I don't mind
telling you the Pedgifts have had a publican among them; there's no
false pride about me. 'Worth makes the man (as Pope says) and want of
it the fellow; the rest is all but leather and prunella.' I cultivate
poetry as well as music, sir, in my leisure hours; in fact, I'm more or
less on familiar terms with the whole of the nine Muses. Aha! here's the
punch! The memory of my great-uncle, the publican, Mr. Armadale--drunk
in solemn silence!"

Allan tried hard to emulate his companion's gayety and good humor, but
with very indifferent success. His visit to Kingsdown Crescent recurred
ominously again and again to his memory all through the dinner, and all
through the public amusements to which he and his legal adviser repaired
at a later hour of the evening. When Pedgift Junior put out his candle
that night, he shook his wary head, and regretfully apostrophized "the
women" for the second time.

By ten o'clock the next morning the indefatigable Pedgift was on
the scene of action. To Allan's great relief, he proposed making the
necessary inquiries at Kingsdown Crescent in his own person, while his
patron waited near at hand, in the cab which had brought them from the
hotel. After a delay of little more than five minutes, he reappeared, in
full possession of all attainable particulars. His first proceeding was
to request Allan to step out of the cab, and to pay the driver. Next,
he politely of