tood waiting
opposite to him, leaning with both his hands upon the table. "You
don't know any one in the neighbourhood of Hamworth, I suppose?" Mr.
Furnival said at last.

"Who, sir? I, sir? Not a soul, sir. I never was there in my life."

"I'll tell you why I ask. I strongly suspect that that man Dockwrath
is at some very foul play." And then he told to his clerk so much of
the whole story of Lady Mason and her affairs as he chose that he
should know. "It is plain enough that he may give Lady Mason a great
deal of annoyance," he ended by saying.

"There's no doubting that, sir," said Crabwitz. "And, to tell the
truth, I believe his mind is made up to do it."

"You don't think that anything could be done by seeing him? Of course
Lady Mason has got nothing to compromise. Her son's estate is as safe
as my hat; but--"

"The people at Round's think it isn't quite so safe, sir."

"Then the people at Round's know nothing about it. But Lady Mason is
so averse to legal proceedings that it would be worth her while to
have matters settled. You understand?"

"Yes, sir; I understand. Would not an attorney be the best person,
sir?"

"Not just at present, Crabwitz. Lady Mason is a very dear friend of
mine--"

"Yes, sir; we know that," said Crabwitz.

"If you could make any pretence for running down to Hamworth--change
of air, you know, for a week or so. It's a beautiful country; just
the place you like. And you might find out whether anything could be
done, eh?"

Mr. Crabwitz was well aware, from the first, that he did not get
fifty pounds for nothing.

CHAPTER XXVI

WHY SHOULD I NOT?

A day or two after his conversation with Crabwitz, as described in
the last chapter, Mr. Furnival was driven up to the door of Sir
Peregrine Orme's house in a Hamworth fly. He had come over by train
from Alston on purpose to see the baronet, whom he found seated in
his library. At that very moment he was again asking himself those
questions which he had before asked as he was walking up and down his
own dining-room. "Why should I not?" he said to himself,--"unless,
indeed, it will make her unhappy." And then the barrister was shown
into his room, muffled up to his eyes in his winter clothing.

Sir Peregrine and Mr. Furnival were well known to each other, and had
always met as friends. They had been interested on the same side in
the first Orley Farm Case, and possessed a topic of sympathy in their
mutual dislike to Joseph