condition of his sons. His eldest son, Mountjoy, who had
ever been his favorite, whom as a little boy he had spoiled by every
means in his power, was a ruined man. His debts had all been paid,
except the money due to the money-lenders. But he was not the less a
ruined man. Where he was at this moment his father did not know. All the
world knew the injustice of which he had been guilty on his boy's
behalf, and all the world knew the failure of the endeavor. And now he
had made a great and a successful effort to give back to his legitimate
heir all the property. But in return the second son only desired his
death, and almost told him so to his face. He had been proud of Augustus
as a lad, but he had never loved him as he had loved Mountjoy. Now he
knew that he and Augustus must henceforward be enemies. Never for a
moment did he think of giving up his power over the estate as long as
the estate should still be his. Though it should be but for a month,
though it should be but for a week, he would hold his own. Such was the
nature of the man, and when he swallowed Mr. Merton's tonics he did so
more with the idea of keeping the property out of his son's hands than
of preserving his own life. According to his view, he had done very much
for Augustus, and this was the return which he received!

And in truth he had done much for Augustus. For years past it had been
his object to leave to his second son as much as would come to his
first. He had continued to put money by for him, instead of spending his
income on himself.

Of this Mr. Grey had known much, but had said nothing when he was
speaking those severe words which Mr. Scarborough had always contrived
to receive with laughter. But he had felt their injustice, though he had
himself ridiculed the idea of law. There had been the two sons, both
born from the same mother, and he had willed that they should be both
rich men, living among the foremost of their fellowmen, and the
circumstances of the property would have helped him. The income from
year to year went on increasing.

The water-mills of Tretton and the town of Tretton had grown and been
expanded within his domain, and the management of the sales in Mr.
Grey's hands had been judicious. The revenues were double now what they
had been when Mr. Scarborough first inherited it. It was all, no doubt,
entailed, but for twenty years he had enjoyed the power of accumulating
a sum of money for his second son's sake,--or would