"Well, as I have proved then," resumed the speaker, "the nephew was the
heir, and into the house he would come. A fine affair it was too--the
illegitimates looking the colour of sloes; but he knew the law, and
would have it put in force."

"Law's law, you know."

"Uncommonly true that; and the nephew stuck to it like a cobbler to his
last--he said they should go out, and they did go out; and, say what
they would about their natural claims, he would not listen to them, but
bundled them out and out in a pretty short space of time."

"It was trying to them, mind you, to leave the house they had been born
in with very different expectations to those which now appeared to be
their fate. Poor things, they looked ruefully enough, and well they
might, for there was a wide world for them, and no prospect of a warm
corner.

"Well, as I was saying, he had them all out and the house clear to
himself.

"Now," said he, "I have an open field and no favour. I don't care for
no--Eh! what?"

"There was a sudden knocking, he thought, the door, and went and opened
it, but nothing was to be seen.

"Oh! I see--somebody next door; and if it wasn't, it don't matter.
There's nobody here. I'm alone, and there's plenty of valuables in the
house. That is what I call very good company. I wouldn't wish for
better."

He turned about, looked over room after room, and satisfied himself that
he was alone--that the house was empty.

At every room he entered he paused to think over the value--what it was
worth, and that he was a very fortunate man in having dropped into such
a good thing."

"Ah! there's the old boy's secretary, too--his bureau--there'll be
something in that that will amuse me mightily; but I don't think I shall
sit up late. He was a rum old man, to say the least of it--a very odd
sort of man."

With that he gave himself a shrug, as if some very uncomfortable feeling
had come over him.

"I'll go to bed early, and get some sleep, and then in daylight I can
look after these papers. They won't be less interesting in the morning
than they are now."

There had been some rum stories about the old man, and now the nephew
seemed to think he might have let the family sleep on the premises for
that night; yes, at that moment he could have found it in his heart to
have paid for all the expense of their keep, had it been possible to
have had them back to remain the night.

But that wasn't possible, for they would not have done it,