find voice wherewith to make any answer. It
occurred to him immediately that Bellfield was even now, at this very
time, staying at his house,--that he, Cheesacre, was expected to
drive him, Bellfield, back to Oileymead, to his own Oileymead, on
this very evening; and as he thought of this he almost fancied that
he must be in a dream. He shook himself, and looked again, and there
sat Bellfield, eyeing him through the bright colour of a glass of
port.

"Now I've told you a bit of my mind, Cheesy, my boy," continued
Bellfield, "and you'll save yourself a deal of trouble and annoyance
if you'll believe what I say. She doesn't mean to marry you. It's
most probable that she'll marry me; but, at any rate, she won't marry
you."

"Do you mean to pay me my money, sir?" said Cheesacre, at last,
finding his readiest means of attack in that quarter.

"Yes, I do."

"But when?"

"When I've married Mrs Greenow,--and, therefore, I expect your
assistance in that little scheme. Let us drink her health. We shall
always be delighted to see you at our house, Cheesy, my boy, and you
shall be allowed to hack the hams just as much as you please."

"You shall be made to pay for this," said Cheesacre, gasping with
anger;--gasping almost more with dismay than he did with anger.

"All right, old fellow; I'll pay for it,--with the widow's money.
Come; our half-hour is nearly over; shall we go up-stairs?"

"I'll expose you."

"Don't now;--don't be ill-natured."

"Will you tell me where you mean to sleep to-night, Captain
Bellfield?"

"If I sleep at Oileymead it will only be on condition that I have one
of the mahogany-furnitured bedrooms."

"You'll never put your foot in that house again. You're a rascal,
sir."

"Come, come, Cheesy, it won't do for us to quarrel in a lady's house.
It wouldn't be the thing at all. You're not drinking your wine. You
might as well take another glass, and then we'll go up-stairs."

"You've left your traps at Oileymead, and not one of them you shall
have till you've paid me every shilling you owe me. I don't believe
you've a shirt in the world beyond what you've got there."

"It's lucky I brought one in to change; wasn't it, Cheesy? I
shouldn't have thought of it only for the hint you gave me. I might
as well ring the bell for Jeannette to put away the wine, if you
won't take any more." Then he rang the bell, and when Jeannette came
he skipped lightly up-stairs into the drawing-room.

"Was he here b