?"

"Well, yes; I should suppose so."

"If you have looked into him and have seen the contrary, I respect your
intelligence."

"I did not mean anything particular."

"I dare say not, and if so, I mean nothing particular as to your
intelligence. He, at any rate, is a scoundrel. Mountjoy--you know
Mountjoy?"

"Never saw him in my life."

"I don't think he is a scoundrel,--not all round. He has gambled when he
has not had money to pay. That is bad. And he has promised when he
wanted money, and broken his word as soon as he had got it, which is bad
also. And he has thought himself to be a fine fellow because he has been
intimate with lords and dukes, which is very bad. He has never cared
whether he paid his tailor. I do not mean that he has merely got into
debt, which a young man such as he cannot help; but he has not cared
whether his breeches were his or another man's. That too is bad. Though
he has been passionately fond of women, it has only been for himself,
not for the women, which is very bad. There is an immense deal to be
altered before he can go to heaven."

"I hope the change may come before it is too late," said Merton.

"These changes don't come very suddenly, you know. But there is some
chance for Mountjoy. I don't think that there is any for Augustus." Here
he paused, but Merton did not feel disposed to make any remark. "You
don't happen to know a young man of the name of Annesley,--Harry
Annesley?"

"I have heard his name from your son."

"From Augustus? Then you didn't hear any good of him, I'm sure. You have
heard all the row about poor Mountjoy's disappearance?"

"I heard that he did disappear."

"After a quarrel with that Annesley?"

"After some quarrel. I did not notice the name at the time."

"Harry Annesley was the name. Now, Augustus says that Harry Annesley
was the last person who saw Mountjoy before his disappearance,--he last
who knew him. He implies thereby that Annesley was the conscious or
unconscious cause of his disappearance."

"Well, yes."

"Certainly it is so. And as it has been thought by the police, and by
other fools, that Mountjoy was murdered,--that his disappearance was
occasioned by his death, either by murder or suicide, it follows that
Annesley must have had something to do with it. That is the inference,
is it not?"

"I should suppose so," said Merton.

"That is manifestly the inference which Augustus draws. To hear him
speak to me about it you would supp