ave been the
purchase-money of her silence, negotiated by her father, who had no
means to carry on a suit at law. As long as his mother lived, the writer
said, he had been silent out of deference to her wishes, but now that
she was dead in France, he did not feel himself bound to abide by an
arrangement which deprived him at once of fortune and station, and which
had been entered into without his knowledge or consent. He then went on
to call upon Sir Philip Hastings in the coolest terms to give up
possession and acknowledge his right without what the writer called "the
painful ceremony of a lawsuit;" and in two parts of the letter allusion
was made to secret information which the writer had obtained by the kind
confidence of a friend whom he would not name.

It was probably intended to give point to this insinuation at an after
period, but if it was aimed at poor Emily, it fell harmless for the
time, as no one knew better than Sir Philip that she had never been
informed of any thing which could affect the case in question.

Indeed, the subject of the annuity was one which he had never mentioned
to any one since the transaction had been completed many years before;
and the name of John Ayliffe had never passed his lips till Marlow
mentioned having seen that young man at Mrs. Hazleton's house.

When he had read the letter, and as soon as he thought he had mastered
the last struggle of passion, he dipped the pen in the ink and wrote the
few following words:

"Sir Philip Hastings has received the letter signed John Ayliffe
Hastings. He knows no person of that name, but has heard of a young man
of the name of John Ayliffe. If that person thinks he has any just claim
on Sir Philip Hastings, or his estate, he had better pursue it in the
legal and ordinary course, as Sir Philip Hastings begs to disclaim all
private communication with him."

He addressed the letter to "Mr. John Ayliffe," and sent it to the post.
This done, he rejoined Marlow and Emily, and to all appearance was more
cheerful and conversable than he had been for many a previous day.
Perhaps it cost him an effort to be cheerful at all, and the effort went
a little beyond its mark. Emily was not altogether satisfied, but Lady
Hastings, when she came down, which, as usual, was rather late in the
day, remarked how gay her husband was.

Sir Philip said nothing to any one at the time regarding the contents of
the letter he had received. He consulted no lawyer eve