at the same time, a
determined air.

"I--I wonder if what has occurred to _you_ is what has occurred to me?"
inquired Quirk, in an eager whisper.

"Pooh! pooh! Mr. Quirk."

"Gammon, dear Gammon, no mystery! You know I have a very deep stake in
this matter!"

"So have I, Mr. Quirk," replied Gammon, with a sigh. "However"--Here the
partners put their heads close together, and whispered to each other in
a low, earnest tone, for some minutes. Quirk rose from his seat, and
took two or three turns about the room in silence, Gammon watching him
calmly.

To his inexpressible relief and joy, within a few hours of the happening
of the above colloquy, Titmouse found himself placed on precisely his
former footing with Messrs. Quirk, Gammon, and Snap.

In order to bring on the cause for trial at the next spring assizes, it
was necessary that the declaration in ejectment should be served on the
tenant in possession before Hilary term; and, in a matter of such
magnitude, it was deemed expedient that Snap should proceed to
Yorkshire, and personally effect the service in question. In
consequence, also, of some very important suggestions as to the
evidence, given by the junior in the cause, (Mr. Lynx,) it was arranged
that Snap should go down about a week before the time fixed upon for
effecting the service, and make quietly certain minute inquiries in the
neighborhood of Yatton. As soon as Titmouse had heard of this
movement--that Snap was going direct to Yatton, the scene of his,
Titmouse's, future greatness--he made the most pertinacious and vehement
entreaties to Messrs. Quirk and Gammon to be allowed to accompany him,
even going down on his knees. There was no resisting this; but they
exacted from him a solemn pledge that he would place himself entirely at
the disposal of Mr. Snap; go under some feigned name, and, in short,
neither say nor do anything tending to disclose their real character or
errand.

Snap and Titmouse established themselves at the Hare and Hounds Inn at
Grilston; and the former immediately began, cautiously and quietly, to
collect such evidence as he could discover. One of the first persons to
whom he went was old Blind Bess. His many pressing questions at length
stirred up in the old woman's mind faint confused recollections of
long-forgotten names, persons, places, scenes, and associations, thereby
producing an agitation not easily to be got rid of, and which had by no
means subsided when Dr. Tatham