“Yes; with the estate,” said Mr. Samuel Hart, coming up and joining them.  Of the lot of men, Mr. Samuel Hart was the most distasteful to Mountjoy.  He had last seen his Jew persecutor at Moscow, and had then, as he thought, been grossly insulted by him.  “What are you hafter, captain?” To this Mountjoy made no answer, but Hart, walking a step or two in advance, turned upon his heels and looked at the park around him.  “Tidy sort of place, ain’t it, Tyrrwhit, for a gentleman to hang his ’at up, when we were told he was a bastard, not worth a shilling?”

“I have nothing to do with all that,” said Mountjoy; “you and Mr. Tyrrwhit held my acceptances for certain sums of money.  They have, I believe, been paid in full.”

“No, they ain’t; they ain’t been paid in full at all; you knows they ain’t.”  As he said this, Mr. Hart walked on in front, and stood in the pathway, facing Mountjoy.  “How can you ’ave the cheek to say we’ve been paid in full?  You know it ain’t true.”

“Evans & Crooke haven’t been paid, so far,” said a voice from behind.

“More ain’t Spicer,” said another voice.

“Captain Scarborough, I haven’t been paid in full,” said Mr. Juniper, advancing to the front.  “You don’t mean to tell me that my five hundred pounds have been paid in full?  You’ve ruined me, Captain Scarborough.  I was to have been married to a young lady with a large fortune,—­your Mr. Grey’s niece,—­and it has been broken off altogether because of your bad treatment.  Do you mean to assert that I have been paid in full?”

“If you have got any document, take it to Mr. Barry.”

“No, I won’t; I won’t take it to any lawyer.  I’ll take it right in before the Court, and expose you.  My name is Juniper, and I’ve never parted with a morsel of paper that has your name to it.”

“Then, no doubt, you’ll get your money,” said the captain.

“I thought, gentlemen, you were to allow me to be the spokesman on this occasion,” said Mr. Tyrrwhit.  “We certainly cannot do any good if we attack the captain all at once.  Now, Captain Scarborough, we don’t want to be uncivil.”

“Uncivil be blowed!” said Mr. Hart; “I want to get my money, and mean to ’ave it.  I agreed as you was to speak, Mr. Tyrrwhit; but I means to be spoken up for; and if no one else can do it, I can do it myself.  Is we to have any settlement made to us, or is we to go to law?”

“I can only refer you to Mr. Barry,” said Mountjoy, walking on very rapidly.  He thought that when he reached the house he might be able to enter in and leave them out, and he thought also that if he kept them on the trot he would thus prevent them from attacking him with many words.  Evans & Crooke were already lagging behind, and Mr. Spicer was giving signs of being hard pressed.  Even Hart, who was younger than the others, was fat and short, and already showed that he would have to halt if he made many speeches.

“Barry be d——­d!” exclaimed Hart.