enths of the law; you've got them, and you must hold
them till the law turns you out."

"I couldn't, sir, if another has a better right to them than I have," I
answered. "I lived on in the house and used the wherry because I was
sure that old Tom would have wished me to do so, but then I didn't know
that he had any relation to claim them."

"And you don't know that he has any relation now," said Mr Chalk; "that
has to be proved, my lad. The law requires proof; that's the beauty of
the law. The man may swear till he's black in the face that he is the
deceased's nephew, but if he has no proof he'll not gain his cause."

Bob Fox was highly delighted with our visit to the lawyer.

"I told you so, lad; I told you so!" he exclaimed, rubbing his hands;
"t'other chap will find he has met his match. Bless you! Old Chalk's
as keen as a razor."

As I could not use the wherry, I went home feeling in much better
spirits than before about our prospects. I was able even to cheer up
Mary and Nancy. I told them that, by Lawyer Chalk's advice, we were not
to quit the house, and that he would manage everything. No one appeared
during the day. The next morning we had breakfast as usual, and as the
time went by I was beginning to hope that we should be unmolested, when
two rough-looking men came to the door, and, though Nancy sprang up to
bar them out, in they walked. One of them then thrust a paper out to
her, but she drew back her hand as if it had been a hot iron. The man
again attempted to make her take it. "One of you must have it," he
growled out.

"No, no! I couldn't make head or tail of it if I did," answered Nancy,
still drawing back.

"Let me have it," I said, wishing to know what the men really came for.

"The sum total is, that you and the rest of you are to move away from
this, and if you don't go sharp we're to turn you out!" exclaimed the
bailiff, losing patience at the time I took to read the document. "It's
an order of ejectment, you'll understand."

"Don't you mind what it is, Peter!" exclaimed Nancy; "Mr Chalk said we
was to stay here, and stay we will for all the scraps of paper in the
world!" And Nancy, seating herself in a chair, folded her arms, and
cast defiant looks at the officers of the law.

They were, however, up to the emergency. Before either she or I were
aware of what they were about to do, they had secured her arms to the
back of the chair, and then, lifting it and her up, carried