“It is a lie from beginning to end!  The most preposterous fabrication of falsehood that could be devised!  The ‘will,’ as it is called, is nothing but a rank forgery, and the man who dares assert any claim to the estate is a damned impostor, and I’ll tell him so to his face!”

“I examined the document very carefully, Mr. Mainwaring,” said the attorney, “and I shall have to admit that it certainly had every appearance of genuineness; if it is a forgery, it is an exceedingly clever one.”

“Do you mean to tell me that you believe, for one moment, in this balderdash?” demanded Ralph Mainwaring, at the same time rising and striding about the room in his wrath.  “The utter absurdity of the thing, that such a will ever existed, in the first place, and then that it would be secreted all these years only to be ‘discovered’ just at this critical moment!  It is the most transparent invention I ever heard of, and it is a disgrace to your American courts that the thing was not quashed at once!”

“That could not very well be done,” said Mr. Whitney, with a quiet smile; “and as the matter now stands, the only course left open for us is to prepare ourselves for a thorough investigation of the case.”

“Investigation be damned!” interrupted the other, but, before he could proceed further, he was in turn interrupted by young Mainwaring.

“I say, governor, you’d best cool down a bit and listen to what Mr. Whitney has to say; if this thing is a forgery, we surely can prove it so; and if it isn’t, why, all the bluster in the world won’t help it, you know.”

His father faced him with a look of withering contempt. “‘If’ it is a forgery!  I tell you there are no ‘ifs’ about it.  I suppose, though, you are just fool enough that, if any man made a pretence of a claim to the estate, you would simply hand it over to him, and thank him for taking it off your hands!”

“That’s just where you are wrong, governor.  I would fight him, fair and square, and he would have to prove a better claim than mine before he could win.  But the point is this, don’t you know, you can fight better with your head cool and your plans well laid beforehand.”

“The young man is right,” said Mr. Whitney, quickly; “there is every indication that our opponent, whoever or whatever he may be, is well prepared for contesting the case.  I understand he has plenty of evidence on his side and the best of legal counsel.”

“Evidence, I suppose,” interposed Ralph Mainwaring, with a sneer, “in support of a document that never existed, and a man that never lived on the face of the earth; for Harold Mainwaring never had a living son.  Have you seen this remarkable individual?”

“I believe no one in this country has seen him as yet, sir.  He is expected to arrive on the ‘Umbria,’ which I understand is due the early part of next week.”

The face of the other showed slight surprise at this statement, but, before he could speak, the young man inquired,-