“And my business is to satisfy him?”

“If you can do that —­ you shall be satisfied too!” said the naturalist.  “He does not know that any one has wronged him:  but he thinks one has.”

“Who?”

“Ryle —­ John Ryle.  He was Mr. Lansing’s partner in business for years —­ I do not know how many.”

“Here?”

“In Mannahatta —­ here —­ they were partners; and Ryle had brothers in England, and he was the foreign partner and Lansing was here, for the American part of the business.  Well, they were working togezer for years; —­ and at the end of them, when they break up the business, it is found that Ryle has made himself money, and that my brother has not made none!  So he is poor, and my sister, and Ryle is rich.”

“How is that?”

“It is that way as I tell you; and Ryle has plenty, and Lansing and Theresa they have not.”

“But has Mr. Lansing no notion how this may have come about?”

“He knows nozing!” said the naturalist, —­ “no more than you know —­ except he knows he is left wizout nozing, and Ryle has not left himself so.  Dat is all he knows.”

“Can I see Mr. Lansing?”

“He is too sick.  And he could tell you nozing.  But he is not satisfied.”

“Is John Ryle of this city?”

“He is of this city.  He is not doing business no more, but he lives here.”

“Well, we can try, Mr. Herder,” said Winthrop, tapping his bundle of papers on the table, in a quiet wise that was a strong contrast to the ardent face and gestures of the philosopher.  It was the action, too, of a man who knew how to try and was in no doubt as to his own power.  The naturalist felt it.

“What will you do, Wint’rop?”

“You wish me to set about it?”

“I do.  I put it in your hands.”

“I will try, Mr. Herder, what can be done.”

“What will you do first?” said the naturalist.

“File a bill in equity,” said Winthrop smiling.

“A bill? —­ what is that?”

“A paper setting forth certain charges, made on supposition and suspicion only, to which charges they must answer on oath.”

“Who will answer?”

“Ryle and his brothers.”

“Dere is but one of them alive.”

“Well, Ryle and his brother, then.”

“But what charges will you make?  We do not know nozing to charge.”

“Our charges will be merely on supposition and suspicion —­ it’s not needful to swear to them.”

“And they must swear how it is?”

“They must swear to their answers,”

“That will do!” said the naturalist, looking ‘satisfied’ already.  “That will do.  We will see what they will say. —­ Do you do nozing but write bills all night, every night, and tie up papers? —­ you do not come to my room no more since a long time.”

“Not for want of will, Mr. Herder.  I have not been able to go.”