er."

"Mr Vivian," said Amos firmly, "all this, and you must know it, is mere
idle talk. I cannot give you the money."

"And I on my part say, sir," replied the other, "that I must have it. I
want it. I cannot do without it."

"I have told you my decision," said Amos.

"Indeed," said the other. "Then I am driven to an unpleasant line of
persuasion, though very reluctantly."

He rose, and Amos did the same.

"Do you see this?" he said, taking from his pocket a revolver.

"I do," said Amos.

"Should I be disposed to use this by way of compulsion, what would you
say?"

"That I am in God's hands and not in yours," replied Amos, looking
Vivian full in the face, who quailed before the calm, steady gaze of the
young man.

Neither spoke for half a minute; then the unhappy stroller stepped back,
and began to raise his right arm. The next instant the disused door was
dashed open, and Walter sprang upon his astounded brother-in-law with
the fury of a tiger. The pistol flew from Vivian's hand, and he fell to
the ground. Walter, who was full of vigour and activity, pinned him
down, and called to Amos to give him one of the bell ropes. With this,
being assisted by his brother, he pinioned the prostrate man so that he
was utterly helpless.

"Now," said Walter, "let us search the villain's pockets." He did so,
and discovered a second revolver. "What's to be done now?" he asked;
"shall we hand him over at once to the police?"

At this moment his sister, having heard the scuffle, tried the door.
Amos unlocked it. What a sight presented itself! "Oh, what does it all
mean?" she cried.

"Why, just this," exclaimed her brother. "This dastardly villain--I
must call him so--has been threatening to shoot Amos because he would
not give him the money that was sent by my father to you."

"Oh, misery! misery!" cried the unhappy wife, hiding her face with her
hands.

"Let me get up; untie the rope," wailed the unhappy Vivian, now utterly
crestfallen and abject. "I meant your brother no harm; I only intended
to frighten him. The pistols are neither of them loaded."

"It may be so," said Walter. "Well, get up," and he helped him to rise.
"Now sit down in that chair and listen to me. You've behaved like a
brute, and worse than a brute, to my poor sister; you have cruelly
trapped my dear noble brother, and would have murdered him if you had
dared. The simplest thing would just be to send for a policeman and
give y