m
an honest man. He shall not have it to say that he wasn't received at my
house."

"He too, thank heaven, is an honest man!" I smiled.

"Why the devil then," cried Mr. Searle, turning almost fiercely on me,
"has he put forward this underhand claim to my property?"

The question, quite ringing out, flashed backward a gleam of light upon
the demeanour of our host and the suppressed agitation of his sister. In
an instant the jealous gentleman revealed itself. For a moment I was so
surprised and scandalised at the directness of his attack that I lacked
words to reply. As soon as he had spoken indeed Mr. Searle appeared to
feel he had been wanting in form. "Pardon me," he began afresh, "if I
speak of this matter with heat. But I've been more disgusted than I
can say to hear, as I heard this morning from my solicitor, of the
extraordinary proceedings of Mr. Clement Searle. Gracious goodness,
sir, for what does the man take me? He pretends to the Lord knows what
fantastic admiration for my place. Let him then show his respect for it
by not taking too many liberties! Let him, with his high-flown parade
of loyalty, imagine a tithe of what _I_ feel! I love my estate; it's my
passion, my conscience, my life! Am I to divide it up at this time of
day with a beggarly foreigner--a man without means, without appearance,
without proof, a pretender, an adventurer, a chattering mountebank? I
thought America boasted having lands for all men! Upon my soul, sir,
I've never been so shocked in my life."

I paused for some moments before speaking, to allow his passion fully to
expend itself and to flicker up again if it chose; for so far as I was
concerned in the whole awkward matter I but wanted to deal with him
discreetly. "Your apprehensions, sir," I said at last, "your not
unnatural surprise, perhaps, at the candour of our interest, have acted
too much on your nerves. You're attacking a man of straw, a creature
of unworthy illusion; though I'm sadly afraid you've wounded a man
of spirit and conscience. Either my friend has no valid claim on your
estate, in which case your agitation is superfluous; or he HAS a valid
claim--"

Mr. Searle seized my arm and glared at me; his pale face paler still
with the horror of my suggestion, his great eyes of alarm glowing and
his strange red hair erect and quivering. "A valid claim!" he shouted.
"Let him try it--let him bring it into court!"

We had emerged into the great hall and stood facing the