have a hundred thousand if she's a penny, and
bring her man a seat in Parlyment into the bargain." Nobody saw, but a
physiognomist would have liked to behold, the expression of Mr. Morgan's
countenance, when this astounding intelligence was made clear to him.
"But for my hage, and the confounded preudices of society," he said,
surveying himself in the glass, "dammy, James Morgan, you might marry
her yourself." But if he could not marry Miss Blanche and her fortune,
Morgan thought he could mend his own by the possession of this
information, and that it might be productive of benefit to him from very
many sources. Of all the persons whom the secret affected, the greater
number would not like to have it known. For instance, Sir Francis
Clavering, whose fortune it involved, would wish to keep it quiet;
Colonel Altamont, whose neck it implicated, would naturally be desirous
to hush it: and that young hupstart beast, Mr. Harthur, who was for
getting' into Parlyment on the strenth of it, and was as proud as if
he was a duke with half a millium a year (such, we grieve to say, was
Morgan's opinion of his employer's nephew), would pay anythink sooner
than let the world know that he was married to a convick's daughter, and
had got his seat in Parlyment by trafficking with this secret. As for
Lady C., Morgan thought, if she's tired of Clavering, and wants to get
rid of him, she'll pay: if she's frightened about her son, and fond
of the little beggar, she'll pay all the same: and Miss Blanche will
certainly come down handsome to the man who will put her into her
rights, which she was unjustly defrauded of them, and no mistake.
"Dammy," concluded the valet, reflecting upon this wonderful hand which
luck had given him to play, "with such cards as these, James Morgan, you
are a made man. It may be a reg'lar enewity to me. Every one of 'em must
susscribe. And with what I've made already, I may cut business, give
my old Gov'nor warning, turn gentleman, and have a servant of my own,
begad." Entertaining himself with calculations such as these, that were
not a little likely to perturb a man's spirit, Mr. Morgan showed a very
great degree of self-command by appearing and being calm, and by not
allowing his future prospects in any way to interfere with his present
duties.

One of the persons whom the story chiefly concerned, Colonel Altamont,
was absent from London when Morgan was thus made acquainted with his
history. The valet knew of Sir