es--and the most extraordinary story," said Pen. "When I left you to
go to my uncle's lodgings, I found his servant, Morgan, who has been
with him so long, at the door, and he said that he and his master had
parted that morning; that my uncle had quitted the house, and had gone
to an hotel--this hotel. I asked for him when I came in; but he was
gone out to dinner. Morgan then said that he had something of a most
important nature to communicate to me, and begged me to step into the
house; his house it is now. It appears the scoundrel has saved a great
deal of money whilst in my uncle's service, and is now a capitalist and
a millionaire, for what I know. Well, I went into the house, and what do
you think he told me? This must be a secret between us all--at least if
we can keep it, now that it is in possession of that villain. Blanche's
father is not dead. He has come to life again. The marriage between
Clavering and the Begum is no marriage."

"And Blanche, I suppose, is her grandfather's heir," said Warrington.

"Perhaps: but the child of what a father! Amory is an escaped
convict--Clavering knows it; my uncle knows it--and it was with this
piece of information held over Clavering in terrorem that the wretched
old man got him to give up his borough to me."

"Blanche doesn't know it," said Laura, "nor poor Lady Clavering?"

"No," said Pen; "Blanche does not even know the history of her father.
She knew that he and her mother had separated, and had heard as a child,
from Bonner, her nurse, that Mr. Amory was drowned in New South Wales.
He was there as a convict, not as a ship's-captain, as the poor girl
thought. Lady Clavering has told me that they were not happy, and that
her husband was a bad character. She would tell me all, she said, some
day: and I remember her saying to me, with tears in her eyes, that it
was hard for a woman to be forced to own that she was glad to hear her
husband was dead: and that twice in her life she should have chosen so
badly. What is to be done now? The man can't show and claim his
wife: death is probably over him if he discovers himself: return
to transportation certainly. But the rascal has held the threat of
discovery over Clavering for some time past, and has extorted money from
him time after time."

"It is our friend Colonel Altamont, of course," said Warrington "I see
all now."

"If the rascal comes back," continued Arthur, "Morgan, who knows his
secret, will use it over him--an