ke a clean breast of it,
and rather go before his tormentor in telling all that there was to
be told, than lag behind as an unwilling witness.

"Do," said Mr. Chaffanbrass. "That will be very kind of you. When I
have learned all that, and one other little circumstance of the same
nature, I do not think I shall want to trouble you any more." And
then Mr. Dockwrath did tell it all;--how he had lost the two fields,
how he had thus become very angry, how this anger had induced him at
once to do that which he had long thought of doing,--search, namely,
among the papers of old Mr. Usbech, with the view of ascertaining
what might be the real truth as regarded that doubtful codicil.

"And you found what you searched for, Mr. Dockwrath?"

"I did," said Dockwrath.

"Without very much delay, apparently?"

"I was two or three days over the work."

"But you found exactly what you wanted?"

"I found what I expected to find."

"And that, although all those papers had been subjected to the
scrutiny of Messrs. Round and Crook at the time of that other trial
twenty years ago?"

"I was sharper than them, Mr. Chaffanbrass,--a deal sharper."

"So I perceive," said Chaffanbrass, and now he had pushed back his
wig a little, and his eyes had begun to glare with an ugly red light.
"Yes," he said, "it will be long, I think, before my old friends
Round and Crook are as sharp as you are, Mr. Dockwrath."

"Upon my word I agree with you, Mr. Chaffanbrass."

"Yes; Round and Crook are babies to you, Mr. Dockwrath;" and now Mr.
Chaffanbrass began to pick at his chin with his finger, as he was
accustomed to do when he warmed to his subject. "Babies to you! You
have had a good deal to do with them, I should say, in getting up
this case."

"I have had something to do with them."

"And very much they must have enjoyed your society, Mr. Dockwrath!
And what wrinkles they must have learned from you! What a pleasant
oasis it must have been in the generally somewhat dull course of
their monotonous though profitable business! I quite envy Round and
Crook having you alongside of them in their inner council-chamber."

"I know nothing about that, sir."

"No; I dare say you don't;--but they'll remember it. Well, when you'd
turned over your father-in-law's papers for three days you found what
you looked for?"

"Yes, I did."

"You had been tolerably sure that you would find it before you began,
eh?"

"Well, I had expected that something would