fat arms so furiously that it
overturned a tea-cup and sent the contents into Bunco's lap. This
created a momentary confusion, and when calm was restored, Mrs Richards
asked Maryann "if hanythink noo 'ad turned up in regard to the estate?"
which she seemed to know so much about, but in regard to which she was,
apparently, so unwilling to be communicative.

"Not so, Jemimar," said Maryann, with a look of offended dignity,
"_unwillin'_ to speak I am not, though _unable_ I may be--at least I was
so until yesterday, but I _have_ come to know a little more about it
since Master Will came 'ome while I chanced to be near--"

Maryann hesitated a moment, and Richards, through a mouthful of toast,
muttered "the keyhole."

"Did you speak, sir?" said Maryann, bridling.

"No, oh! no, not by no means," replied Richards, "only the crust o' this
'ere toast is rayther 'ard, and I'm apt to growl w'en that's so."

"If the crust is 'ard, Mr Richards, your teeth is 'arder, so you ought
to scrunch 'em without growling."

"Brayvo, my dear," exclaimed Larry, coming to the rescue; "you're more
nor match for him, so be marciful, like a good sowl, an' let's hear
about this estate, for it seems to me, from what I've heard, it must be
somewhere in the neighbourhood of Bunco's native place."

Maryann, darting a look of mingled defiance and triumph at Richards, who
became more than ever devoted to the toast and bacon, proceeded--

"Well, as I was a-sayin', I 'eard Mrs Osten say to Master Will that his
uncle Edward--as was a scape somethin' or other--had died an' left a
small estate behind the Rocky Mountains in Ameriky or Afriky, I aint
sure which."

"Ameriky, my dear," observed Larry.

"An' she said as 'ow they 'ad discovered gold on it, which could be
picked up in 'andfuls, an' it was somewhere near a place called Kally
somethin'--"

"Calliforny?" cried Larry.

"Yes, that was it."

"I towld ye that, Bunco!" exclaimed the Irishman, becoming excited; "go
on, dear."

"Well, it seems there's some difficulties in the matter, wich I'm sure
don't surprise _me_, for I never 'eard of things as 'ad to do with
estates and law as didn't create difficulties, and I'm thankful as I've
got nothin' to do with none of such things. Well, the end of it all is
that, w'en master was dyin', he made missis swear as she'd urge Master
Will to go to see after things hisself, an' missis, poor dear, she would
rather let the estate and all the gold go, if s