Mr. Aubrey, in a low tone.

"I am no stranger, sir, to your firmness of character; but I shall have
to tax it, I fear, to its uttermost. To come at once to the point--they
told me that I might undoubtedly _settle_ the matter, if you would
consent to give up immediate possession of _the whole Yatton estate_,
and account for the mesne profits to their client, the right heir--as
they contend--a Mr. Tittlebat Titmouse." Mr. Aubrey leaned back in his
chair, overcome, for an instant, by this astounding intelligence; and
all three of them preserved silence for more than a minute. Mr.
Runnington was a man of a very feeling heart. In the course of his great
practice he had had to encounter many distressing scenes; but probably
none of them had equalled that in which, at the earnest entreaty of Mr.
Parkinson, who distrusted his own self-possession, he now bore a leading
part. The two attorneys interchanged frequent looks of deep sympathy for
their unfortunate client, who seemed as if stunned by the intelligence
they had brought him.

"I felt it my duty to lose not an instant in coming down to Yatton,"
resumed Mr. Runnington, observing Mr. Aubrey's eye again directed
inquiringly towards him; "for Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap are very
dangerous people to deal with, and must be encountered promptly, and
with the greatest possible caution. The moment that I had left them, I
hastened to the Temple, to retain for you Mr. Subtle, the leader of the
Northern Circuit; but they had been beforehand with me, and retained him
nearly three months ago, together with another eminent king's counsel on
the circuit. Under these circumstances, I lost no time in giving a
special retainer to the Attorney-General, in which I trust I have done
right, and in retaining as junior a gentleman whom I consider to be
incomparably the ablest and most experienced lawyer on the circuit."

"Did they say anything concerning the nature of their client's title?"
inquired Mr. Aubrey, after some expressions of amazement and dismay.

"Very little--I might say, nothing. If they had been _never_ so precise,
of course I should have distrusted every word they said. They certainly
mentioned that they had had the first conveyancing opinions in the
kingdom, which concurred in favor of their client; that they had been
for months prepared at all points, and accident only had delayed their
commencing proceedings till now."

"Did you make any inquiries as to who the claimant