suit finished?' asked Harvey, when they had found a place and
ordered their meal.

Hugh answered with a deep rolling curse.

When he returned to England, in the summer of 1889, he entered at once
into partnership with the man Mackintosh, taking over an established
business at Coventry, with which his partner already had some
connection. Not a week passed before they found themselves at law with
regard to a bicycle brake--a patent they had begun by purchasing, only
to find their right in it immediately contested. The case came on in
November; it occupied nine days, and was adjourned. Not until July of
the following year, 1890, was judgment delivered; it went for
Mackintosh & Co, the plaintiffs, whose claim the judge held to be
proved. But this by no means terminated the litigation. The defendants,
who had all along persisted in manufacturing and selling this patent
brake, now obtained stay of injunction until the beginning of the
Michaelmas term, with the understanding that, if notice of appeal were
given before then, the injunction would be stayed until the appeal was
settled. And notice _was_ given, and the appeal would doubtless be
heard some day or other; but meanwhile the year 1891 had come round,
and Mackintosh & Co. saw their rivals manufacturing and selling as
gaily as ever. Hugh Carnaby grew red in the face as he spoke of them;
his clenched fist lay on the tablecloth, and it was pretty clear how he
longed to expedite the course of justice.

Still, he had good news to communicate, and he began by asking whether
Harvey saw much of Redgrave.

'Redgrave?' echoed the other in surprise. 'Why, I hardly know him.'

'But your wife knows him very well.'

'Yes; I dare say she does.'

Carnaby did not observe his friend's countenance; he was eating with
great appetite. 'Redgrave isn't at all a bad fellow. I didn't know him
much till lately. Used to see him at B. F.'s, you know, and one or two
other places where I went with Sibyl. Thought him rather a snob. But I
was quite mistaken. He's a very nice fellow when you get near to him.'

Harvey's surprise was increased. For his own part, he still thought of
Redgrave with the old prejudice, though he had no definite charge to
bring against the man. He would have supposed him the last person
either to seek or to obtain favour with Hugh Carnaby.

'Sibyl has known him for a long time,' Hugh continued. 'Tells me he did
all sorts of kindnesses for her mother at Ascott Larkfie