stared stupidly from one to the other, and
then, with a voice that had grown strangely thick, he said, 'I'll
trouble you to say that all over again slowly, if you've no objection.
My head began buzzing, and I couldn't follow it all.'

Mr. Humpage complied, and when he finished for the second time, his
hearer's face was purple and distorted, and Mabel pitied him from her
own experience.

'Dear Mr. Lightowler,' she said, 'you mustn't blame Mark; he had no
choice, he had _promised_.'

'Promised!' Uncle Solomon almost howled; 'what business had he got to
make a promise like that? See what a fool he's made o' _me_--with that
letter of mine in all the London papers! I heard those Manor House
girls gigglin' and laughin' when they drove by the other day, and
thought it was just because they were idjits.... I wish to God I'd let
him starve as a City clerk all his days before I let him bring me to
this. I've lived all this time and never been ridiclous till now, and
he's done it. Ah! and that's not the only thing he's done
either--he's swindled me, done me out o' my money as I've earned. I
could 'ave him up at the Old Bailey for it--and I've a good mind to
say I will, too. I'll----'

'Stop,' said Mabel, 'you have gone quite far enough. I know this is a
great disappointment to you, but I am his wife--you have no right to
say such things to me.'

'No right!' he stormed, 'that's all you know about it. No right,
haven't I? Let me tell you that ever since I was made to think that
feller was a credit to me at last, I've bin allowing him at the rate
of four hundred a year; d'ye think I'd 'a done that for kindly lending
his name to another feller's book? D'ye think he didn't know that well
enough when he took the money? Trust him for takin' all he could get
hold of! But I'll 'ave it back; I'll post him as a swindler, I'll
shame him! Look 'ere; d'ye see this?' and he took out some folded
sheets of blue foolscap from his inner pocket. 'I was goin' to take
this to Ferret on my way home--and it's the codicil to my will, this
is. I was goin' to take it to get it altered, for I've not been
feelin' very well lately, I've not been feelin' very well. This was
made when I thought Mark was a nephew to be proud of--d----n him--and
I can tell yer I left him a pretty tidy plum under it. Now see what I
do with it. No fire, isn't there? Well, it doesn't make any odds.
There ... and there ... and there;' and he tore the papers
passionately across