age is
one which you should not countenance. Captain Hotspur is
not fit to marry your daughter.

When Sir Harry had read so far he had become very angry, but his
anger was now directed against his lawyer. Had he not told Mr. Boltby
that he had changed his mind; and what business had the lawyer to
interfere with him further? But he read the letter on to its bitter
end:--

Since you were in London the following facts have become
known to me. On the second of last month Mr. George
Hotspur met two men, named Walker and Bullbean, in the
lodgings of the former, at about nine in the evening,
and remained there during the greater part of the night,
playing cards. Bullbean is a man well known to the police
as a card-sharper. He once moved in the world as a
gentleman. His trade is now to tout and find prey for
gamblers. Walker is a young man in a low rank of life, who
had some money. George Hotspur on that night won between
three and four hundred pounds of Walker's money; and
Bullbean, over and above this, got for himself some
considerable amount of plunder. Walker is now prepared,
and very urgent, to bring the circumstances of this case
before a magistrate, having found out, or been informed,
that some practice of cheating was used against him; and
Bullbean is ready to give evidence as to George Hotspur's
foul play. They have hitherto been restrained by Hart, the
Jew whom you met. Hart fears that were the whole thing
made public, his bills would not be taken up by you.

I think that I know all this to be true. If you conceive
that I am acting in a manner inimical to your family, you
had better come up to London and put yourself into the
hands of some other lawyer. If you can still trust me, I
will do the best I can for you. I should recommend you to
bring Captain Hotspur with you,--if he will come.

I grieve to write as I have done, but it seems to me that
no sacrifice is too great to make with the object of
averting the fate to which, as I fear, Miss Hotspur is
bringing herself.--My dear Sir Harry Hotspur, I am, very
faithfully yours,

JOHN BOLTBY.

It was a terrible letter! Gradually, as he read it and re-read it,
there came upon Sir Harry the feeling that he might owe, that he did
owe, that he certainly would owe to Mr. Boltby a very heavy debt
of gratitude. Gradually the thin glazing of hope with which he h