“But you couldn’t, could you, if he were—­were anywhere else?”

“Couldn’t I?  That’s all you know about it.  Understand, however, that I shall start to-morrow morning, and unless you like to remain here on a visit to him, you had better go with me.”  Mr. Jones signified his compliance with the hint, and so Miss Scarborough had done her work.

Mr. Scarborough, when thus left alone, spent his time chiefly in thinking of the condition of his sons.  His eldest son, Mountjoy, who had ever been his favorite, whom as a little boy he had spoiled by every means in his power, was a ruined man.  His debts had all been paid, except the money due to the money-lenders.  But he was not the less a ruined man.  Where he was at this moment his father did not know.  All the world knew the injustice of which he had been guilty on his boy’s behalf, and all the world knew the failure of the endeavor.  And now he had made a great and a successful effort to give back to his legitimate heir all the property.  But in return the second son only desired his death, and almost told him so to his face.  He had been proud of Augustus as a lad, but he had never loved him as he had loved Mountjoy.  Now he knew that he and Augustus must henceforward be enemies.  Never for a moment did he think of giving up his power over the estate as long as the estate should still be his.  Though it should be but for a month, though it should be but for a week, he would hold his own.  Such was the nature of the man, and when he swallowed Mr. Merton’s tonics he did so more with the idea of keeping the property out of his son’s hands than of preserving his own life.  According to his view, he had done very much for Augustus, and this was the return which he received!

And in truth he had done much for Augustus.  For years past it had been his object to leave to his second son as much as would come to his first.  He had continued to put money by for him, instead of spending his income on himself.

Of this Mr. Grey had known much, but had said nothing when he was speaking those severe words which Mr. Scarborough had always contrived to receive with laughter.  But he had felt their injustice, though he had himself ridiculed the idea of law.  There had been the two sons, both born from the same mother, and he had willed that they should be both rich men, living among the foremost of their fellowmen, and the circumstances of the property would have helped him.  The income from year to year went on increasing.

The water-mills of Tretton and the town of Tretton had grown and been expanded within his domain, and the management of the sales in Mr. Grey’s hands had been judicious.  The revenues were double now what they had been when Mr. Scarborough first inherited it.  It was all, no doubt, entailed, but for twenty years he had enjoyed the power of accumulating a sum of money for his second son’s sake,—­or would have enjoyed it, had not the accumulation been taken from him to pay Mountjoy’s debts.  It was in vain that he attempted to make Mountjoy responsible for the money.  Mountjoy’s debts, and irregularities, and gambling went on, till Mr. Scarborough found himself bound to dethrone the illegitimate son, and to place the legitimate in his proper position.