“Oh, that I will, if you will not break up my home.”

“Not such a fool, my dear.  Catch me killing a milk-cow!  You give me a percentage on your profits, and I’m dumb.”

“Then all you want is more money?”

“That is all; and I shall not want that in a month’s time.”

“I have brought L100, Leonard,” she said, timidly.

“Sensible girl.  Hand it over.”

Two white hands trembled at the strings of a little bag, and took out ten crisp notes.

Leonard took them with satisfaction.

“There,” said he.  “This will last me till I have found Bartley and Hope, and made my fortune.”

“Hope!” said Mrs. Braham.  “Oh, pray keep clear of him!  Pray don’t attack him again.  He is such an able man!”

“I will not attack him again to be defeated.  Forewarned, forearmed.  Indeed, if I am to bleed Bartley, I don’t know how I can be revenged on Hope. That is the cruel thing.  But don’t you trouble about my business, Lucy, unless,” said he, with a sneer, “you can tell me where to find them, and so save me a lot of money.”

“Well, Leonard,” said Lucy, “it can’t be so very hard to find Hope.  You know where that young man lives that you—­that I—­”

“Oh, Walter Clifford!  Yes, of course I know where he lives.  At Clifford Hall, in Derbyshire.”

“Well, Leonard, Hope saved him from prison, and ruined you.  That young man had a good heart.  He would not forget such a kindness.  He may not know where Mr. Bartley lives, but surely he will know where Hope is.”

“Lucy,” said Leonard, “you are not such a fool as you were.  It is a chance, at all events.  I’ll go down to that neighborhood directly.  I’ll have a first-rate disguise, and spy about, and pick up all I can.”

“And you will never say anything or do anything to—­Oh, Leonard, I’m a bad wife.  I never can be a good one now to anybody.  But I’m a good mother; and I thought God had forgiven me, when he sent me my little angel.  You will never ruin his poor mother, and make her darling blush for her!”

“Curse me if I do!” said Leonard, betrayed into a moment’s warmth.  But he was soon himself again.  “There,” said he, “I’ll leave the little bloke my inheritance.  Perhaps you don’t know I’m heir to a large estate in Westmoreland; no end of land, and half a lake, and only eleven lives between the estate and me.  I will leave my ‘great expectations’ to that young bloke.  What’s his Christian name?”

“Augustus.”

“And what’s his father’s name?”

“Jonathan.”

Leonard then left all his property, real and personal, and all that should ever accrue to him, to Augustus Braham, son of Jonathan Braham, and left Lucy Braham sole executrix and trustee.

Then he hurried into the outer office, signed this document, and got it witnessed.  The clerks proposed to engross it.

“What for?” said he.  “This is the strongest form.  All in the same handwriting as the signature; forgery made easy are your engrossed wills.”