le had been given you by
your father."

"Oh yes, sir! yes--- no doubt of it; surely _that_ can't signify, seeing
he's dead, and I'm his only son?" asked Titmouse, quickly and eagerly.

"Oh, 'tis only a circumstance--a mere circumstance; but in business, you
know, Mr. Titmouse, every little helps--and you really, by the way, have
no recollection of your mother, Mr. Titmouse?"

"No, sir, I said so! And--meaning no offence, sir--I can't abide being
put off in this kind of way,--I must own!--See what I have told
you--you've told _me_ nothing at all. I hope you haven't been only
making me a cat's-paw of? 'Pon my soul, I _hate_ being made a cat's-paw
of, sir!"

"Good heavens, Mr. Titmouse! how can you imagine it? Matters in some
degree connected with one or two former members of your family, are at
this moment the object of some little of our anxiety"----

"Not meaning it rudely, sir--please to tell me at once, plainly, am I to
be the better for anything you're now about, or was that advertisement
all fudge?"

"That may or may not be, sir," answered Mr. Gammon, in the same
imperturbable manner, drawing on his gloves, and rising from his chair.
"In justice to yourself, and other parties concerned"----

"Oh! is anybody to _share_ in it?" exclaimed Titmouse, alarmedly.

"I am sure," said Gammon, smiling, "that you will give us credit for
consulting your best interests, if they should prove to be in any degree
concerned in our present inquiries! We should, in that event, sincerely
desire to advance them. But--it is _really_," looking at his watch,
"upwards of an hour since we quitted your place of business--I fear I
shall get into disgrace with that respectable gentleman, your employer.
Will you favor us with a call at our office to-morrow night, when the
business of the day is over? When do you quit at night?"

"About half-past nine o'clock, sir; but really--to-morrow night!
Couldn't I come to-night, sir?"

"Not to-night, I fear, my dear sir. We have a very important engagement.
Let us say to-morrow night, at a quarter past ten--shall we say that
hour?" inquired Mr. Gammon, with an imperative smile.

"Well, sir, if not before--yes--I'll be with you. But I _must_ say"----
quoth Titmouse, with a sulky disconcerted air.

"Good-day, Mr. Titmouse," said Mr. Gammon--they were by this time in
Oxford Street again.--"Good-day, my dear sir--good-day--to-morrow night,
as soon after ten as possible--eh? Good-by."

This was a