onsulting Henry, or, at least, telling him by
letter.

And whilst she was thus temporizing, events took place at Eastbank which
ended by rudely disturbing the pious falsehood at Raby Hall.

That sequence of events began with the interview between Mr. Carden and
Mr. Coventry at Woodbine Villa.

"Little had made a will. My own solicitor drew it, and holds it at this
moment." This was the intelligence Coventry had to communicate.

"Very well; then now I shall know who is coming to the 'Gosshawk' for
the five thousand pounds. That will be the next act of the comedy, you
will see."

"Wait a moment. He leaves to Mrs. Little his own reversion to a sum of
nineteen hundred pounds, in which she has already the life interest;
he gives a hundred pounds to his sweetheart Dence: all the rest of his
estate, in possession or expectation, he bequeaths to--Miss Carden."

"Good heavens! Why then--" Mr. Carden could say no more, for
astonishment.

"So," said Coventry, "If he is alive, she is the confederate who is to
profit by the fraud; those five thousand pounds belong to her at this
moment."

"Are you sure? Who is your authority?"

"A communicative clerk, who happens to be the son of a tenant of mine.
The solicitor himself, I believe, chooses to doubt his client's decease.
It is at his private request that horrible object is refused Christian
burial."

"On what grounds, pray?"

"Legal grounds, I suppose; the man did not die regularly, and according
to precedent. He omitted to provide himself with two witnesses
previously to being blown up. In a case of this kind we may safely put
an old-fashioned attorney's opinion out of the question. What do YOU
think? That is all I care to know."

"I don't know what to think now. But I foresee one thing: I shall be
placed in rather an awkward position. I ought to defend the 'Gosshawk;'
but I am not going to rob my own daughter of five thousand pounds, if it
belongs to her honestly."

"Will you permit me to advise you?"

"Certainly, I shall be very much obliged: for really I don't see my
way."

"Well, then, I think you ought to look into the matter carefully, but
without prejudice. I have made some inquiries myself: I went down to the
works, and begged the workmen, who knew Little, to examine the remains,
and then come here and tell us their real opinion."

"Oh, to my mind, it all depends on the will. If that answers the
description you give--hum!" Next morning they breakfasted t