left finger and thumb and used to
make a most deferential bow. There he stood, smiling and sleek, dabbing
his face with a red silk handkerchief.

"Very hot morning, sir, and your room's a bit 'igh."

"You wanted to see me?" said Richard rather distantly.

"Well, yes, sir--begging your pardon, sir. By Mr Mark Frayne's
introduction, sir. Said business was business, and I might venture to
call, sir. Been Mr Mark Frayne's tailor, sir, three years come next
quarter, sir; and I've ventured to bring my new patterns with me, sir."

"My cousin should have spoken to me first, Mr Simpson," said Richard,
"and I could have saved you this trouble."

"Trouble, sir? Oh! dear me, no, sir! It's a pleasure to me to have the
honour. You see, I almost knew you personally though before, sir: Mr
Mark Frayne was always talking about you and your country place. Now, I
have here, sir," said the visitor, rattling open his patterns like a
card-trick, "some fashions that only come down by post this morning,
sir; and I said to myself, `Here's your opportunity. You can't expect a
gentleman as has his garments from Servile Row to care about goods as
every counter-jumper in Primchilsea has seen. Go and let him have the
first selection.'"

"Thank you, Mr Simpson," said Richard, coldly, as he thought of his
cousin and the money; "I have no reason for exchanging my tailor.
Greatly obliged to you for calling."

"No trouble, sir; no trouble--a pleasure, as one may say. I thought I'd
bring all the patterns as I was coming. Then shall we settle that other
little bit of business, sir, at once? Some other time, p'raps, you may
be able to give me a line."

"What other business?" said Richard, flushing a little.

"That little affair of the money, sir."

"I have nothing to do with Mr Mark Frayne's affairs," said Richard,
warmly.

"Oh, sir, don't say that to a poor tradesman, sir!" said the tailor,
shaking his head reproachfully, as he reopened the little handbag and
drew a flat bill-case of large size from among the cards of patterns.
"Mr Mark said if I would make it a bit easy, and drew at three, six,
and nine, you would put your name to the paper, and there would be no
more trouble."

"My cousin had no right to say such a thing to you!" cried Richard.

"Oh, sir, don't say that; it's such a little amount to a gentleman! I
have drawn it in three bills, a heighty and two fifties--hundred and
heighty! Why, it ain't worth thinking about