“Martha S——­; your late sister, I presume?”

My uncle nodded assent.

“Gilbert Hodgon—­your servant?”

“The same.  To what purpose, sir, are these questions?” angrily inquired my uncle.

“Merely matters of form—­a habit we lawyers cannot easily throw aside whenever we get a sight of musty parchments.  I hope you will pardon my freedom?”

“Oh! as for that you are welcome to ask as many questions as you think proper; they will be easily answered, I take it.”

“Doubtless,” said the persevering man of words.  “Whenever I take up a deed, for instance,—­it is just the habit of the thing, Mr S——­,—­I always look at it as a banker looks at a note.  He could not for the life of him gather one up without first ascertaining that it was genuine.”

“Genuine!” exclaimed my uncle, thrown off his guard.  “You do not suspect that I have forged it?”

“Forged it! why, how could that enter your head, Mr S——?  I should as soon suspect you of forging a bank-note or coining a guinea.  Ringing a guinea, sir, does not at all imply that the payee suspects the payer to be an adept in that ingenious and much-abused art.  We should be prodigously surprised if the payer were to start up in a tantrum, and say, ‘Do you suspect me, sir, of having coined it?’”

“Sir, if you came hither for the purpose of insulting me”——­

“I came upon no such business, Mr S——­; but, as you seem disposed to be captious, I will make free to say, and it would be the opinion of ninety-nine hundredths of the profession, that it might possibly have been a little more satisfactory to the heir-apparent had the witnesses to this, the most solemn and important act of a man’s life, been any other than, firstly, a defunct sister to the party claiming the whole residue:  and secondly, Mr Gilbert Hodgon, his servant.  Nay, sir,” said the pertinacious lawyer, rising, “I do not wish to use more circumlocution than is necessary; I have stated my suspicions, and if you are an honest man, you can have no objections, at least, to satisfy your nephew on the subject, who seems, to say the truth, much astonished at our accidental parley.”

“And pray who made you a ruler and a judge between us?”

“I have no business with it, I own; but as you seemed rather angry, I made bold to give an opinion on the little technicalities aforesaid.  If you choose, sir,” addressing himself to me, “the matter is now at rest.”

“Of course,” I replied, “Mr S——­ will be ready to give every satisfaction that may be required as regards the validity of the witnesses.  I request, uncle, that you will not lose one moment in rebutting these insinuations.  For your own sake and mine, it is not proper that your conduct should go forth to the world in the shape in which this gentleman may think fit to represent it.”

“If he dare speak one word”——­

“Nay, uncle, that is not the way to stop folks’ mouth now-a-days.  Nothing but the actual gag, or a line of conduct that courts no favour and requires no concealment, will pass current with the world.  I request, sir,” addressing myself to the attorney, “that you will not leave this house until you have given Mr S——­ the opportunity of clearing himself from any blame in this transaction.”