despatched one for their mother, the
mistress of the shop, who came in, and dropped him a courtesy, with a
very grave, sad face, as was proper.

"I am going to leave your house, ma'am; and I wish to settle any little
arrears of rent, &c."

"O sir! don't mention it," said the landlady; and, as she spoke, she
took a piece of paper from her bosom, very neatly folded, and laid it on
the table. "And here, sir," she added, taking from the same depository
a card,--"here is the card left by the gentleman who saw to the funeral.
He called half an hour ago, and bade me say, with his compliments, that
he would wait on you to-morrow at eleven o'clock. So I hope you won't go
yet: for I think he means to settle everything for you; he said as much,
sir."

Philip glanced over the card, and read, "Mr. George Blackwell, Lincoln's
Inn." His brow grew dark--he let the card fall on the ground, put his
foot on it with a quiet scorn, and muttered to himself, "The lawyer
shall not bribe me out of my curse!" He turned to the total of the
bill--not heavy, for poor Catherine had regularly defrayed the expense
of her scanty maintenance and humble lodging--paid the money, and, as
the landlady wrote the receipt, he asked, "Who was the gentleman--the
younger gentleman--who called in the morning of the day my mother died?"

"Oh, sir! I am so sorry I did not get his name. Mr. Perkins said that he
was some relation. Very odd he has never been since. But he'll be sure
to call again, sir; you had much better stay here."

"No: it does not signify. All that he could do is done. But stay, give
him this note, if she should call."

Philip, taking the pen from the landlady's hand, hastily wrote (while
Mrs. Lacy went to bring him sealing-wax and a light) these words:

"I cannot guess who you are: they say that you call yourself a relation;
that must be some mistake. I knew not that my poor mother had relations
so kind. But, whoever you be, you soothed her last hours--she died in
your arms; and if ever--years, long years hence--we should chance to
meet, and I can do anything to aid another, my blood, and my life, and
my heart, and my soul, all are slaves to your will. If you be really
of her kindred, I commend to you my brother: he is at ----, with Mr.
Morton. If you can serve him, my mother's soul will watch over you as
a guardian angel. As for me, I ask no help from any one: I go into
the world and will carve out my own way. So much do I shrink from the