that you will come and dine
with us, Mr. Meeson, and if you like to come a little early, say
half-past six, I daresay that Augusta will arrange to be in, to hear what
you have found out about this will, you know. And now--an revoir."

"I think that that is a very nice young man, my dear," said Lady
Holmhurst as soon as Eustace had bowed himself out. "It was rather
audacious of him to propose to you the fourth time that he set eyes upon
you; but I think that audacity is, on the whole, a good quality in the
male sex. Another thing is, that if that will is worth anything he will
be one of the wealthiest men in the whole of England; so, taking it
altogether, I think I may congratulate you, my dear. And now I suppose
that you have been in love with this young man all along. I guessed as
much when I saw your face as he ran up to the carriage yesterday, and I
was sure of it when I heard about the tattooing. No girl would allow
herself to be tattooed in the interest of abstract justice. Oh, yes! I
know all about it; and now I am going out walking in the park with Dick,
and I should advise you to compose yourself, for that artist is coming to
draw you at twelve."

And she departed and left Augusta to her reflections, which were--well,
not unpleasant ones.

Meanwhile Eustace was marching towards the Temple. As it happened, in the
same lodging-house where he had been living for the last few months, two
brothers of the name of Short had rooms, and with these young gentlemen
he had become very friendly. The two Shorts were twins, and so like one
another that it was more than a month before Eustace could be sure which
of them he was speaking to. When they were both at college their father
died, leaving his property equally between them; and as this property on
realisation was not found to amount to more than four hundred a year, the
twins very rightly concluded that they had better do something to
supplement their moderate income. Accordingly, by a stroke of genius they
determined that one of them should become a solicitor and the other a
barrister, and then tossed up as to which should take to which trade. The
idea, of course, was that in this manner they would be able to afford
each other mutual comfort and support. John would give James briefs, and
James' reflected glory would shine back on John. In short, they were
anxious to establish a legal dong firm of the most approved pattern.

Accordingly, they passed their respective e