ered me to leave it; now I am come to you to
arrange with James Trethewy and John Bassett about selling the stock. I
suppose the crops will have to be valued, too, and a lot of other
matters before I can realise on my property."

He looked very grave, but said nothing for some time.

"I will do what I can at once," he grunted, at length; "but believe me,
Jasper, my boy, Nicholas Tresidder is a clever dog--a very clever dog.
He's been set to work on this bone, and he'll leave nothing on it--mark
my words, he'll leave nothing on it."

"He _has_ left nothing," I replied; "I doubt if the stock will fetch
very little more than the L500 my father spent when he took Elmwater
Barton from my Grandfather Quethiock."

Lawyer Trefry shook his head and grunted again; but he made no remark,
and so I left, thinking that I knew the worst. I imagined that when the
stock was sold I should be worth several hundred pounds, and with this
as a nucleus, I should have something to give me a fair start.

And so the day of the sale of the stock on the Barton was fixed, but
before that day came another letter was brought by a messenger of Lawyer
Nicholas Tresidder from Falmouth. This letter stated that as no rent had
been paid since the death of Margaret Pennington, the heirs of the late
Peter Quethiock claimed six years' rent, as they were entitled to do by
the law of the land.

I knew now what Lawyer Trefry meant when he said that Lawyer Tresidder
would pick the bone clean. He had seen this coming, while I, young and
ignorant of the law, had never dreamed of it. Old Betsey Fraddam had
said that Richard Tresidder would pay me out, and he had done so now.
Six years' rent would swallow up the value of the stock, and would take
every penny I possessed. Thus at twenty I, who, but for the fraud and
deceit of the Tresidders, would be the owner of Pennington, would be
absolutely homeless and penniless. Then for the first time a great
feeling of hate came into my heart, and then, too, I swore that I would
be revenged for the injury that was done to me.

Again I went to Lawyer Trefry, and again he grunted.

"I expected this," he said; "I knew it would come. Nick Tresidder is a
clever dog; I was sure he would pick the bone clean."

"And there is no hope for me?" I asked, anxiously.

"You will have your youth, your health and strength, and your liberty,"
he replied. "I do not see how they can rob you of that; no, even Nick
Tresidder can't rob yo