er; but the squire only laughed. He always
showed some enjoyment of the fun which arose from the effects of his own
scheming. The legal world, with its entails, had endeavored to dispose
of his property, but he had shown the legal world that it was not an
easy task to dispose of anything in which he was concerned.

"How will you get hold of Mountjoy?" asked Augustus. Then the two older
men only looked at each other. Both of them believed that Augustus knew
more about his brother than any one else. "I think you had better send
to Mr. Annesley and ask him."

"What does Annesley know about him?" asked the squire.

"He was the last person who saw him, at any rate, in London."

"Are you sure of that?" said Mr. Grey.

"I think I may say that I am. I think, at any rate, that I know that
there was a violent quarrel between them in the streets,--a quarrel in
which the two men proceeded to blows,--and that Annesley struck him in
such a way as to leave him for dead upon the pavement. Then the young
man walked away, and Mountjoy has not been heard of, or, at least, has
not been seen since. That a man should have struck such a blow, and
then, on the spur of the moment, thinking of his own safety, should have
left his opponent, I can understand. I should not like to be accused of
such treatment myself, but I can understand it. I cannot understand that
the man should have been missing altogether, and that then he should
have held his tongue."

"How do you know all this?" asked the attorney.

"It is sufficient that I do know it."

"I don't believe a word of it," said the squire.

"Coming from you, of course I must put up with any contradiction," said
Augustus. "I should not bear it from any one else," and he looked at the
attorney.

"One has a right to ask for your authority," said his father.

"I cannot give it. A lady is concerned whose name I shall not mention.
But it is of less importance, as his own friends are acquainted with the
nature of his conduct. Indeed, it seems odd to see you two gentlemen so
ignorant as to the matter which has been a subject of common
conversation in most circles. His uncle means to cut him out from the
property."

"Can he too deal with entails?" said the squire.

"He is still in middle life, and he can marry. That is what he intended
to do, so much is he disgusted with his nephew. He has already stopped
the young man's allowance, and swears that he shall not have a shilling
of his money