vernment, had already singled him out for the high position of
Attorney-General. That secured, only one step remained to place him in
the seat of the Lord Chancellor. Truly, an imperial position--one that
satisfied the proud ambition of a Wolsey and fitted the genius of a
Thomas a Becket. It carries with it the position of keeper of the
conscience of Her Majesty, giving the possessor precedence in all
official functions over the English aristocracy, next to royalty itself.

But about this time dark whispers began to fly about through the clubs
of London. Soon it became known that Edwin James, the Lord Chancellor
to be, was in the toils, and it shortly transpired that, in spite of the
fact that his income from his profession was nearer twenty than ten
thousand pounds per annum, it had proved insufficient and he was heavily
in debt, and worse.

It would seem he was keeping up what in the polite language of society
are known as dual houses. A woman of brilliant beauty presided over one,
and the marvelous beauty of its mistress was only equaled by her
extravagance. He also had a fondness for associating with younger men
than himself, and had got into a particularly fast set of young lords
and army men. At his club he had lost large sums at baccarat and loo,
and, in an unhappy hour for himself and his, he stooped from his high
position and--miserable to think of--committed a crime. This, in the
expectation that he would relieve himself from some of the more crushing
obligations he had heaped upon himself, either through the extravagant
vagaries of his imperious mistress, or by his own rashness in trying his
luck among a lot of titled sharpers. He had among his clients one fast,
even madly extravagant youth, heir of an historic name and of a lordly
estate. To supply his extravagance "my lord" had applied to the money
lenders--those sharks that in London, as elsewhere, fatten on such game.
These gentry were eager to lend the young blood money upon what are
known in English law as post-obits, which loans in this particular case
carried the trifling interest of about 100 per cent. per annum. James
was cognizant of his friend's excursions among the money lenders, and no
doubt he thought the young spendthrift, when he came into his fortune,
would never know within a good many thousands how much he had borrowed,
nor even the number of post-obits he had given.

I will just explain that a post-obit is a form of note or due bill give