ose that he suspected Annesley of
having killed Mountjoy."

"Not that, I hope."

"Something of the sort. He has intended it to be believed that Annesley,
for his own purposes, has caused Mountjoy to be made away with. He has
endeavored to fill the police with that idea. A policeman, generally, is
the biggest fool that London, or England, or the world produces, and has
been selected on that account. Therefore the police have a beautifully
mysterious but altogether ignorant suspicion as to Annesley. That is the
doing of Augustus, for some purpose of his own. Now, let me tell you
that Augustus saw Mountjoy after Annesley had seen him, that he knows
this to be the case, and that it was Augustus, who contrived Mountjoy's
disappearance. Now what do you think of Augustus?" This was a question
which Merton did not find it very easy to answer. But Mr. Scarborough
waited for a reply. "Eh?" he exclaimed.

"I had rather not give an opinion on a point so raised."

"You may. Of course you understand that I intend to assert that Augustus
is the greatest blackguard you ever knew. If you have anything to say in
his favor you can say it."

"Only that you may be mistaken. Living down here, you may not know the
truth."

"Just that. But I do know the truth. Augustus is very clever; but there
are others as clever as he is. He can pay, but then so can I. That he
should want to get Mountjoy out of the way is intelligible. Mountjoy has
become disreputable, and had better be out of the way. But why
persistently endeavor to throw the blame upon young Annesley? That
surprises me;--only I do not care much about it. I hear now for the first
time that he has ruined young Annesley, and that does appear to be very
horrible. But why does he want to pay eighty thousand pounds to these
creditors? That I should wish to do so,--out of a property which must in
a very short time become his,--would be intelligible. I may be supposed
to have some affection for Mountjoy, and, after all, am not called upon
to pay the money out of my own pocket. Do you understand it?"

"Not in the least," said Merton, who did not, indeed, very much care
about it.

"Nor do I;--only this, that if he could pay these men and deprive them of
all power of obtaining farther payment, let who would have the property,
they at any rate would be quiet. Augustus is now my eldest son. Perhaps
he thinks he might not remain so. If I were out of the way, and these
creditors were paid, he