ur uncle burned the papers! I told you so--but
doubtless you have forgotten--the day I first saw you in Edinburgh
Castle. It was an act of generosity; I have seen many of these acts, and
always regretted--always regretted! 'That shall be his inheritance,' he
said, as the papers burned; he did not mean that it should have proved
so rich a one. How rich, time will tell."

"I beg your pardon a hundred thousand times, my dear sir, but it strikes
me you have the impudence--in the circumstances I may call it the
indecency--to appear cast down?"

"It is true," said he: "I am. I am cast down. I am literally cast down.
I feel myself quite helpless against your cousin."

"Now, really!" I asked. "Is this serious? And is it perhaps the reason
why you have gorged the poor devil with every species of insult? and why
you took such surprising pains to supply me with what I had so little
need of--another enemy? That you were helpless against him? 'Here is my
last missile,' say you; 'my ammunition is quite exhausted: just wait
till I get the last in--it will irritate, it cannot hurt him. There--you
see!--he is furious now, and I am quite helpless. One more prod, another
kick: now he is a mere lunatic! Stand behind me; I am quite helpless!'
Mr. Romaine, I am asking myself as to the background or motive of this
singular jest, and whether the name of it should not be called
treachery?"

"I can scarce wonder," said he. "In truth it has been a singular
business, and we are very fortunate to be out of it so well. Yet it was
not treachery: no, no, Mr. Anne, it was not treachery; and if you will
do me the favour to listen to me for the inside of a minute, I shall
demonstrate the same to you beyond cavil." He seemed to wake up to his
ordinary briskness. "You see the point?" he began. "He had not yet read
the newspaper, but who could tell when he might? He might have had that
damned journal in his pocket, and how should we know? We were--I may
say, we are--at the mercy of the merest twopenny accident."

"Why, true," said I: "I had not thought of that."

"I warrant you," cried Romaine, "you had supposed it was nothing to be
the hero of an interesting notice in the journals! You had supposed, as
like as not, it was a form of secrecy! But not so in the least. A part
of England is already buzzing with the name of Champdivers; a day or two
more and the mail will have carried it everywhere: so wonderful a
machine is this of ours for disseminating