his first glance over the lawyer's letter. Buy him
out, indeed, and lay him on one side! He hated Rowan with all his
heart;--and his hatred was much more bitter in its nature than
that which Rowan was capable of feeling for him. He remembered the
champagne; he remembered the young man's busy calling for things
in his own house; he remembered the sneers against the beer, and
the want of respect with which his experience in the craft had been
treated. Buy him out! No; not as long as he had a five-pound note to
spend, or a leg to stand upon. He was strong in his resolution now,
and capable of strength, for Mrs. Tappitt was also on his side. Mrs.
Rowan had not quite kept her secret as to what had transpired at the
inn, and Mrs. Tappitt was certain that Rachel Ray had succeeded. When
Tappitt declared that morning that he would fight it out to the last,
Mrs. T. applauded his courage.

"Oh! a little chat, is it?" said Tappitt. "About this letter that
I've just got, I suppose;" and he gave a contemptuous poke to the
epistle with one of his hands.

"What letter?" asked Rowan.

"Come now, young man, don't let us have any humbug and trickery,
whatever we may do. If there's anything I do hate, it's deceit."

All Rowan's wrath returned upon him instantly, redoubled and trebled
in its energy. "What do you mean, sir?" said he. "Who is trying to
deceive anybody? How dare you speak to me in such language as that?"

"Now, look here, Mr. Rowan. This letter comes from your man in Craven
Street, as of course you know very well. You have chosen to put our
business in the hands of the lawyers, and in the hands of the lawyers
it shall remain. I have been very wrong in attempting to have any
dealings with you. I should have known what sort of a man you were
before I let you put your foot in the concern. But I know enough of
you now, and, if you please, you'll keep yourself on the other side
of those gates for the future. D'ye hear me? Unless you wish to be
turned out by the men, don't you put your feet inside the brewery
premises any more." And Tappitt's face as he uttered these words was
a face very unpleasant to behold.

Luke was so astounded that he could not bethink himself at the moment
of the most becoming words in which to answer his enemy. His first
idea had prompted him to repudiate all present knowledge of the
lawyer's letter, seeing that the lawyer's letter had been the ground
of that charge against him of deceit. But having