. Of Clissold I
have always had suspicions almost amounting to certainty; but they have
never been confirmed until now. For my daughter's sake and for my own I
have carried this subject in my own heart, as the only secret of my life,
and have long believed that it would die with me."

"Wa'al, my good sir," said the captain cordially, "the present question
is, and will be long, I hope, concerning living, and not dying. Now,
here are our two honest friends, the loving Raybrock and the slow. Here
they stand, agreed on one point, on which I'd back 'em round the world,
and right across it from north to south, and then again from east to
west, and through it, from your deepest Cornish mine to China. It is,
that they will never use this same so-often-mentioned sum of money, and
that restitution of it must be made to you. These two, the loving member
and the slow, for the sake of the right and of their father's memory,
will have it ready for you to-morrow. Take it, and ease their minds and
mine, and end a most unfortunate transaction."

Tregarthen took the captain by the hand, and gave his hand to each of the
young men, but positively and finally answered No. He said, they trusted
to his word, and he was glad of it, and at rest in his mind; but there
was no proof, and the money must remain as it was. All were very earnest
over this; and earnestness in men, when they are right and true, is so
impressive, that Mr. Pettifer deserted his cookery and looked on quite
moved.

"And so," said the captain, "so we come--as that lawyer-crittur over
yonder where we were this morning might--to mere proof; do we? We must
have it; must we? How? From this Clissold's wanderings, and from what
you say, it ain't hard to make out that there was a neat forgery of your
writing committed by the too smart rowdy that was grease and ashes when I
made his acquaintance, and a substitution of a forged leaf in your book
for a real and torn leaf torn out. Now was that real and true leaf then
and there destroyed? No,--for says he, in his drunken way, he slipped it
into a crack in his own desk, because you came into the office before
there was time to burn it, and could never get back to it arterwards.
Wait a bit. Where is that desk now? Do you consider it likely to be in
America Square, London City?"

Tregarthen shook his head.

"The house has not, for years, transacted business in that place. I have
heard of it, and read of it, as remove