dman, making hay whilst the sun
shone, had spent all but the whole of his means. There remained the
question whether he was making fraudulent concealments. Mutimer was
morally convinced that this was the case, and would vastly have enjoyed
laying his former friend by the heels for the statutable six weeks, but
satisfactory proofs were not to be obtained. Through Mr. Yottle, Eldon
expressed the desire that, as far as he was concerned, the matter might
rest. But it was by no means with pure zeal for justice that Mutimer had
proceeded thus far. He began the suit in anger, and, as is wont to be
the case with litigants, grew more bitter as it went on. The selling up
of Rodman's house was an occasion of joy to him; he went about singing
and whistling.

Adela marvelled that he could so entirely forget the sufferings of his
sister; she had had so many proofs of his affection for Alice. In fact
he was far from forgetting her, but he made strange distinction between
her and her husband, and had a feeling that in doing his utmost to
injure Rodman he was in a manner avenging Alice. His love for Alice
was in no degree weakened, but--if the state can be understood--he was
jealous of the completeness with which she had abandoned him to espouse
the cause of her husband. Alice had renounced her brother; she never saw
him, and declared that she never would speak to him again. And Mutimer
had no fear lest she should suffer want. Rodman had a position of some
kind in the City; he and his wife lived for a while in lodgings, then
took a house at Wimbledon.

One of Mutimer's greatest anxieties had been lest he should have a
difficulty henceforth in supporting his mother in the old house. The
economical plan would have been for Adela and himself to go and live
with the old woman, but he felt that to be impossible. His mother would
never become reconciled to Adela, and, if the truth must be told, he was
ashamed to make known to Adela his mother's excessive homeliness. Then
again he was still estranged from the old woman. Though he often thought
of what Alice had said to him on that point, month after month went by
and he could not make up his mind to go to Wilton Square. Having let
the greater part of her house, Mrs. Mutimer needed little pecuniary aid;
once she returned money which he had sent to her 'Arry still lived with
her, and 'Arry was a never-ending difficulty. After his appearance in
the police court, he retired for a week or two into