at present entertained the smallest suspicion to what
extent!

Preparatory to the settlements made by the General on Lord and Lady
Robert Stanley, it had been found necessary to place in the hands of
his lordship's solicitors the deeds of the Lexley Hall estate; when,
lo! to the consternation of all parties, it appeared that the
General's title was an unsound one; that by the general terms of this
ancient property, rights of heirship could only be evaded by the
payment of a certain fine, after intimation of sale in a certain form
to the nearest-of-kin of the heir in possession, which form had been
overlooked or wantonly neglected by Sir Laurence Altham!

The discovery was indeed embarrassing. Fortunately, however, the sum
of ten thousand pounds only had been paid by the General to satisfy
the immediate funds of the unthrifty baronet; the remainder of the
purchase-money having been left in the form of mortgage on the
property. There was consequently the less difficulty, though
considerable expense, in cancelling the existing deeds, going through
the necessary forms, and, after paying the forfeiture to the heir, (to
whom the very existence of his claims was unknown,) renewing the
contract with Sir Laurence; to whom, so considerable a sum being still
owing, it was as essential as to General Stanley that the covenant
should be completed without delay. But all this occurred at so
critical a moment, that the General had ample cause to be thankful for
the promptitude with which he decided Selina's marriage; for only four
days after the signature of the new deeds, Sir Laurence concluded his
ill-spent life--his death being, it was thought, accelerated by the
excitement consequent on this strange discovery, and the
investigations on the part of the heir to which it was giving rise.

For the clause in the original grant of the Lexley estate (which dated
from the Reformation) affected the property purchased by Jonas Sparks
as fully as that which had been assigned to the General; and the
baronet being now deceased, there was no possibility of co-operation
in rectifying the fatal error. It was more than probable, therefore,
that Lexley Park, with all its improvements, was now the property of
John Julius Altham, Esq.!--the only dilemma still to be decided by the
law, being the extent to which, his kinsman having died insolvent and
intestate, he was liable to the suit of Jonas Sparks for the return of
the purchase money, amounting t