nd seems by Poole's date of the time at which he, Poole, made Jasper's
acquaintance, to have done so after his baffled attempt on you
at Fawley--whether in so doing he intimated the commencement of
hostilities, or whether, as is more likely, the sharper finds it
convenient to have one name in one country, and one in another, 'tis
useless to inquire; enough that the identity between the Hammond
who married poor Matilda, and the Jasper Losely whose father was
transported, that unscrupulous rogue has no longer any care to conceal.
It is true that the revelation of this identity would now be of slight
moment to a man of the world-as thick-skinned as myself, for instance;
but to you it would be disagreeable--there is no denying that--and
therefore, in short, when Mr. Poole advises a compromise, by which
Jasper could be secured from want and yourself from annoyance, I am of
the same opinion as Mr. Poole is."

"You are?"

"Certainly. My dear Darrell, if in your secret heart there was something
so galling in the thought that the man who had married your daughter,
though without your consent, was not merely the commonplace adventurer
whom the world supposed, but the son of that poor dear--I mean
that rascal who was transported, Jasper, too, himself a cheat and a
sharper-if this galled you so, that you have concealed the true facts
from myself, your oldest friend, till this day--if it has cost you even
now so sharp a pang to divulge the true name of that Mr. Hammond, whom
our society never saw, whom even gossip has forgotten in connection
with yourself--how intolerable would be your suffering to have this man
watching for you in the streets, some wretched girl in his hand, and
crying out, 'A penny for your son-in-law and your grandchild!' Pardon
me--I must be blunt. You can give him to the police--send him to the
treadmill. Does that mend the matter? Or, worse still, suppose the
man commits some crime that fills all the newspapers with his life and
adventures, including of course his runaway marriage with the famous Guy
Darrell's heiress--no one would blame you, no one respect you less; but
do not tell me that you would not be glad to save your daughter's name
from being coupled with such a miscreant's at the price of half your
fortune."

"Alban'" said Darrell, gloomily, "you can say nothing on this score that
has not been considered by myself. But the man has so placed the matter,
that honour itself forbids me to bargain with