d invested in went wrong, and
fifteen thousand were lost at a blow--a nice kettle of fish we made
between us of that."

"We," she repeated, scornfully.

"Yes, we. You know perfectly well that before I went into it I consulted
you. The mine was paying well then, and at the rate I bought in would
have paid twenty per cent on the investment. I told you that there was a
certain risk always with these mines, and that it was either a big
addition to our income or a total loss."

"Yes, but you said that coal mines were not like other mines."

"And as a rule they are not," he said, "but there was first that great
strike, then a fall in the price of coal, and then just when things
began to look better again we came upon that fault that nobody had
dreamt of being there, and then the whole thing went to smash. You must
not be impatient. I am as anxious as you are, Eliza, to have done with
all this, and I hope by the time Clara and Julia are ready to come out,
I may be able to carry out the plans we have always had--I as much as
you. Tancred takes a great deal of the work off my hands now, and I can
see that he has the confidence of most of my people. In another couple
of years I shall have no fear of the business falling off if I hand it
over to him entirely. You know he has only a fifth share, and I have no
doubt he will be glad to arrange to pay me half or perhaps three-fifths
when I retire. Now I must be going across to the office."

The office was situated in a smaller house standing opposite the
lawyer's residence. In his father's time a portion of the ground floor
of the house was devoted to business purposes, but after his marriage
Jeremiah Brander had taken the house opposite and made it his place of
business.

About twelve o'clock a gig drew up at the door; a moment later a young
clerk came in.

"Doctor Edwards wishes to speak to you, Mr. Brander."

"Show him in."

"Well, doctor," he said, as his visitor entered, "it is seldom that I
see you here, though we meet often enough elsewhere. Come you to buy or
to sell, or do you want a will prepared or a patient sued? If so you
know that's altogether out of my line."

"I quite understand that, Brander," the other said, as he took the
armchair the lawyer pointed out to him. "No, I have come to tell you
something you will be very sorry to hear. I have just come in from
Fairclose. I had a note from Hartington last night asking me to go over
first thing this morning."