him an opportunity to cheat me. As to the
badness of his countenance, that is so much the better. I like to deal
with an obvious rogue. The really dangerous subject is your honest fool,
who goes on straight enough till he has lulled one into a false security,
and then turns thief all at once at the instigation of some clever
tempter."

"That young man lives in the house with you, I suppose?"

"Yes; my household consists of Luke Tulliver, and an old woman who does
the cooking and other work. There are a couple of garrets at the top of
the house where the two sleep; my own bedroom is over this; and the room
over the shop is full of pictures and other unsaleable stuff, which I
have seldom occasion to show anybody. My business is not what it once
was, Mr. Fenton. I have made some rather lucky hits in the way of
picture-dealing in the course of my business career, but I haven't done a
big line lately."

Gilbert was inclined to believe that Jacob Nowell was a much richer man
than he cared to confess, and that the fortune which Marian Nowell might
inherit in the future was a considerable one. The old man had all the
attributes of a miser. The house in which he lived had the aspect of a
place in which money has been made and hoarded day by day through long
dull years.

* * * * *

It was not until the end of October that John Saltram made his appearance
at his old friend's lodgings. He had just come up from the country, and
was looking his best--brighter and younger than Gilbert had seen him look
for a long time.

"My dear Jack, I began to think I should never see you again. What have
you been doing all this time, and where have you been?"

"I have been hard at work, as usual, for the reviews, down Oxford way, at
a little place on the river. And how has the world been going with you,
Gilbert? I saw your advertisement offering a reward for evidence of Miss
Nowell's marriage. Was there any result?"

"Yes; I know all about the marriage now, but I don't know who or what the
man is," Gilbert answered; and then went on to give his friend a detailed
account of his experience at Wygrove, and his visit to Sir David Forster.

"My dear foolish Gilbert," said John Saltram, "how much useless trouble
you have given yourself! Was it not enough to know that this girl had
broken faith with you? I think, were I in your place, that would be the
end of the story for me. And now you know more than that--you k