o queer to me after Fitzherbert-square."

To this Mrs. Lawson made a response as composed as she could; she would
have retorted bitterly and violently, but her husband had a connection
with the Thompson establishment, and for strong reasons she considered
it prudent to refrain from quarreling with Mrs. Thompson. She,
therefore, spoke but very little, and Mrs. Thompson was left at liberty
to give a lengthened detail of Mr. Thompson's great wealth and her own
great profusion. She began first with herself, and furnished an exact
detail of all the fine things she had purchased in the last month, down
to the latest box of pins. Next, her babies occupied her for half an
hour--the quantity of chicken they consumed, and the number of frocks
they soiled per diem were minutely chronicled. Then her house came under
consideration: she depicted the bright glory of the new _ponceau_
furniture, as contrasted with shocking old faded things--and she glanced
significantly toward Mrs. Lawson's sofas and chairs. Next she made a
discursive detour to the culinary department, and gave a statement of
the number of stones of lump sugar she was getting boiled in preserves,
and of the days of the week in which they had puddings, and the days
they had pies at dinner.

"But, Mrs. Lawson, dear, have you seen old Mr. Lawson since he came
home?" she said, when she was rising to depart; "but I suppose you
haven't, for they say he won't have any thing to do with his relations
now--he won't come near you, I have heard. They say he has brought such
a lot of money with him from South America."

At this intelligence every feature of Mrs. Lawson's face brightened with
powerful interest. She inquired where Mr. Lawson stopped, and was
informed that he had arrived at the best hotel in the town about three
days previously, and that every one talked of the large fortune he had
made abroad, as he seemed to make no secret of the fact.

A burning eagerness to obtain possession of that money entered Mrs.
Lawson's soul, and she thought every second of time drawn out to the
painful duration of a long hour, while Mrs. Thompson slowly moved her
ample skirts of satin across the drawing-room, and took her departure.
Mrs. Lawson dispatched a messenger immediately for her husband.

Henry Lawson came in, and listened with surprise to the intelligence of
his father's return. He was taking up his hat to proceed to the hotel in
quest of him, when a carriage drove to the door