owever
lucrative, and "Les Tatouages, Etude Medico-Legale."

"In spite of his wealth, Mr. Johnson in no way changed his habits. He
invested his money carefully, under our advice, and he became, as
I said, an extremely warm man. But he continued to live in the old
farmhouse, and did not, in any way, court society. To tell the truth,
except Lord Birkenhead, who is our client, I never knew anyone who was
at all intimate with the old man. Lord Birkenhead had a respect for him,
as a neighbor and a person of the old-fashioned type. Yes," Mr. Wright
added, seeing that his son was going to speak, "and, as you were about
to say, Tom, they were brought together by a common misfortune. Like old
Mr. Johnson, his lordship has a son who is very, very--unsatisfactory.
His lordship has not seen the Honorable Mr. Thomas Cranley for many
years; and in that lonely country the two boys had been companions in
wild amusements, long before. He is _very_ unsatisfactory, the Honorable
Thomas Cranley;" and Mr. Wright sighed heavily, in sympathy with a
client so noble and so afflicted.

"I know the beast," said Barton, without reflecting.

Mr. Wright looked at him in amazement and horror. "The beast!" A son of
Lord Birkenhead's called "The beast!"

"To return to our case, Dr. Barton," he went on severely, with some
stress laid on the _doctor_. "Mr. Johnson died, leaving, by a will made
on his death-bed, all that he possessed to his son Richard, or, in case
of his decease, to the heirs of his body lawfully begotten. From that
day to this we have hunted everywhere for the man. We have traced him
all over the world; we have heard of him in Australia, Burmah, Guiana,
Smyrna, but at Smyrna we lose sight of him. This advertisement," said
the old gentleman, taking up the outside sheet of the _Times_, and
folding it so as to bring the second column into view, "remained for
more than seven months unanswered, or only answered by impostors and
idiots."

He tapped his finger on the place as he handed the paper to Barton, who
read aloud:

"Linkheaton.--If Richard Johnson, of Linkheaton, Durham, last heard of
at Smyrna in 1875, will apply to Messrs. Martin and Wright, Lincoln's
Inn Fields, he will hear of something very greatly to his advantage. His
father died, forgiving him. A reward of L1,000 will be paid to anyone
producing Richard Johnson, or proving his decease."

"As a mixture of business with the home affections," said old Mr. Wright
proudly (