“Place the papers before me, sir,” said his lordship, somewhat sharply.  “What opinion can I form of their value without having first inspected and examined them?”

As he spoke he took the spectacles from out the Bible, and settled them on his face.

“I know, my lord,” replied M’Bride, taking them out of a pocket-book rather the worse for wear, “that I am placing them in the hands of an honorable man.”

His lordship took them without seeming to have heard this observation; and as he held them up, M’Bride could perceive that a painful change came over him.  He became ghastly pale, and his hands trembled so violently, that he was unable to read their contents until he placed them flat upon the table before him.  At length, after having read and examined them closely, and evidently so as to satisfy himself of their authenticity, he turned round to M’Bride, and said, “Is any person aware that you are in possession of these documents?”

“Aha,” thought the fellow, “there’s an old knave for you.  He would give a round sum that they were in ashes, I’ll engage; but I’ll make him shell out for all that.—­I don’t think there is, my lord, unless the gentleman—­your lordship knows who I mean—­that I took them from.”

“Did you take them deliberately from him?”

The man stood uncertain for a moment, and thought that the best thing he could do was to make a merit of the affair, by affecting a strong disposition to serve his lordship.

“The truth is, my lord, I was in his confidence, and as I heard how matters stood, I thought it a pity that your lordship should be annoyed at your time of life, and I took it into my head to place them in your lordship’s hands.”

“These are genuine documents,” observed his lordship, looking at them again.  “I remember the handwriting distinctly, and have in my possession some letters written by the same individual.  Was your master a kind one?”

“Both kind and generous, my lord; and I have no doubt at all but he’d forgive me everything, and advance a large sum besides, in order to get these two little papers back.  Your lordship knows he can do nothing against you without them; and I hope you’ll consider that, my lord.”

“Did he voluntarily, that is, willingly, and of his own accord, admit you to his confidence? and, if so, upon what grounds?”

“Why, my lord, my wife and I were servants to his father for years, and he, when a slip of a boy, was very fond of me.  When he came over here, my lord, it was rather against his will, and not at all for his own sake.  So, as he knew that he’d require some one in this country that could act prudently for him, he made up his mind to take me with him, especially as my wife and myself were both anxious to come back to our own country.  ‘I must trust some one, M’Bride,’ said he, ’and I will trust you’; and then he tould me the raison of his journey here.”

“Well,” replied his lordship, “proceed; have you anything more to add!”