w, and any further
communication I shall return." The Marquis ceased to speak, and the
lawyer at once buried himself in the letter.

"It is meant to be offensive," said the lawyer.

"Most insolent, most offensive, most improper! And yet the bishop
upholds him!"

"But if he is right about the bit of land, my lord, it will be rather
awkward." And as he spoke, the lawyer examined the sketch of the
vicarage entrance. "He gives this as copied from the terrier of the
parish, my lord."

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

"You didn't look at the plan of the estate, my lord?"

"I don't think we did; but Packer had no doubt. No one knows the
property in Bullhampton so well as Packer, and Packer said--"

But while the Marquis was still speaking the lawyer rose, and begging
his client's pardon, went to the clerk in the outer room. Nor did
he return till the clerk had descended to an iron chamber in the
basement, and returned from thence with a certain large tin box.
Into this a search was made, and presently Mr. Boothby came back
with a weighty lump of dusty vellum documents, and a manuscript map,
or sketch of a survey of the Bullhampton estate, which he had had
opened. While the search was being made he had retired to another
room, and had had a little conversation with his partner about
the weather. "I am afraid the parson is right, my lord," said Mr.
Boothby, as he closed the door.

"Right!"

"Right in his facts, my lord. It is glebe, and is marked so here very
plainly. There should have been a reference to us,--there should,
indeed, my lord. Packer, and men like him, really know nothing. The
truth is, in such matters nobody knows anything. You should always
have documentary evidence."

"And it is glebe?"

"Not a doubt of it, my lord."

Then the Marquis knew that his enemy had him on the hip, and he laid
his old head down upon his folded arms and wept. In his weeping it
is probable that no tears rolled down his cheeks, but he wept inward
tears,--tears of hatred, remorse, and self-commiseration. His enemy
had struck him with scourges, and, as far as he could see at present,
he could not return a blow. And he must submit himself,--must restore
the bit of land, and build those nasty dissenters a chapel elsewhere
on his own property. He had not a doubt as to that for a moment.
Could he have escaped the shame of it,--as far as the expense was
concerned he would have been willing to build them ten chap