CHAPTER LIII.

MR. GILBERT'S SON-IN-LAW.

"DONE, and done, for a hundred pounds!"

A strong harsh voice uttering these words startled Roger Gilbert; who on turning to the quarter whence it came, beheld his son-in-law.

"I beg your pardon for interrupting your soliloquy, Mr. Gilbert," continued Jason Brooke, advancing, but showing no signs of gratification. "I did not know that I was to be honoured with a visit from you to-day, or I would have remained at home to receive you. You have been waiting some time, I am told. You must have found it insufferably dull in this room-all alone, too."

"Clara has been with me, Mr. Brooke," replied Roger Gilbert, who deemed it expedient to own to having seen his daughter, though he had no intention of entering upon the particulars of the interview.

"So I am told, Mr. Gilbert," rejoined the host; "but not the less dull for that, I should suppose," he added, with a sneering smile. "Tastes differ, however; and-"

"Mrs. Brooke is my daughter, sir," interposed the Squire of Fairbourne Court, with an assumption of dignity which sat uneasily upon him because of the object of his visit. The dignified tone was accompanied, therefore, by an appealing, propitiatory glance and gesture, as though he had added, "We will not quarrel, my good sir, even if you choose to deny the proposition."

"You did not find Mrs. Brooke's society dull, then," said Jason, without losing the sneer: "I am glad of it. Would you tell me,

now, how you manage to extract amusement from the lady who honours me by being my wife?"

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"You are facetious this afternoon, Mr. Brooke," remarked Roger Gilbert, uneasily. Well, sir, having enjoyed your joke," he added, "I should be glad of a few words on business, totally unconnected with my daughter."

My

"I give you my word I was not joking, Mr. Gilbert. marriage is a subject I have quite left off being facetious about, I assure you. But, as you say or imply, the subject is too insignificant to detain us from business. What is it, sir? You mentioned a hundred pounds, I think.”

"A-hem! that was a slip of the tongue: I was in fact, I was just thinking aloud. I did not know you were in the library, Mr. Brooke. We will pass that, if you please."

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By all means, as you please. It was not a bet, a wager, then, after all. I was in hopes it was: I should have won it, at a dead certainty, though I do not know what it was about—eh?"

"You know I never wager, Mr. Brooke."

"True. You go a surer way to work, Mr. Gilbert," the other retorted. "Well, passing that"

Passing that." The Squire of Fairbourne paused a moment, as you, reader, may have seen a timid and nervous swimmer pause before taking the half-dreaded plunge. "Passing that, Mr. Brooke, I-I have ridden over this afternoon, to-to ask a favour, sir."

"A favour! No, surely! You accused me, a minute ago, of being facetious, Mr. Gilbert. The facetiousness is on your side

"I am quite serious, indeed. The-the fact is, I am-but this will explain;" and extracting an oblong slip of paper from a bulky pocket-book, he laid it before his son-in-law, who lifted his eyebrows and his upper lip as he took it in his hand and glanced at it, then passed it back again.

"A copy of a writ, I see. Heavy amount, too; very. Well, and what am I to make of it, Mr. Gilbert?"

"It is very awkward, is it not?"

"Very awkward; at least I should say so. But you know your own affairs better than I do," said the host, coolly and apparently unmoved.

"What do you make of it, Jason?" asked the visitor, who affected a familiarity with his son-in-law which assuredly he did not feel.

Mr. Brooke shrugged his shoulders. "In ordinary cases I suppose there is nothing for it but to pay; that is to say, if the debt be a just debt, as I presume this to be."

"I am not going to dispute it, at any rate,” replied Roger Gilbert.

"Then you will pay, of course no difficulty with a man of your resources. I wonder, now, that you should have taken the trouble to come all the way from Fairbourne to make me your confidant. I am highly honoured, certainly; but it wasn't wise, was it? However, if I am to give advice, I would say, Don't show that document to everybody you may chance to meet on your way home."

If Roger Gilbert had expected to obtain sympathy and ready assistance from his son-in-law, he was mistaken. At all events, he would vainly have looked for any outward and visible signs of either in the words or tones or looks by which his intelligence was answered. Calm, and undisturbed, and cynical, Jason Brooke looked across the library table at his wife's father with an expression on his countenance which seemed to state, "You have obtained what you came for: now begone." But Mr. Gilbert was in desperate straits, and he persevered.

"You will give me more than advice, Jason," he said, confidentially. "The truth is, that just at the present time I am unable to meet this demand. You understand me?"

Jason Brooke again shrugged his shoulders, but he did not speak.

"That is to say," continued the squire, "it may be a week or two, or a month or two, before

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"A year or two, perhaps," said the son-in-law, in the same

tone.

"No, no; a month or two at farthest, and I shall be able to tide over the difficulty; but meanwhile" Roger Gilbert paused once more, and glanced across the table at Jason Brooke, who repeated

"But meanwhile?" interrogatively and imperturbably.

"Meanwhile I must look up some money somewhere," said Squire Gilbert, desperately.

"Exactly so I understand. It seems to be the best thing you can do," returned Clara's husband.

"Ah! I was sure you would see it so, my dear Jason." Mr. Gilbert did not often address his son-in-law so affectionately; but the occasion warranted a little hypocrisy, he thought. "I was sure you would see it in that light, and that you would not refuse to assist me."

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Stay. Let us understand one another; for I think we are in the dark at present," said Mr. Brooke. "You want money-as far as I can judge, three or four thousand pounds to begin with. Now there's your own bank at L: go there." Roger Gilbert shook his head. "You forget, Jason, that I have only a small and limited interest in that concern; and to tell you the truth, I-in fact I would rather be obliged to a friend than appear before the partners there in formâ pauperis.”

"In other words, your account is already overdrawn some few thousands. I heard so the other day, but I didn't think much of it it was no business of mine, you know. Well, the bank is closed against you. So much the worse. Try your brewery,

then."

"Who dared tell you that lie about the bank ?" demanded Mr. Gilbert, with an assumption of bravery which did not conceal the cowardice of his sinking heart. He might brand the report as a lie; but he knew better. "But it does not signify," he added, in almost the same breath: "I will find out, another day, who my traducers are."

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Quite right, Mr. Gilbert; but, as you say, it does not signify now: the question is about the money; and I suggest the brewery," said the host.

"I have nothing to do with the brewery, Mr. Brooke. I thought you knew I had parted with my share in it. And if I had not

"And if you had not, there would have been no use in it, you would say. I dare say you are right. Well, you have lots of strings to your bow. Like the fox in the fable, you know a hundred tricks, begging your pardon for the comparison. There's your mercantile firm, you know."

Roger Gilbert shifted uneasily in his chair. unlucky firm that has brought me into this difficulty,” he said.

"It is that this trifling

"That's unfortunate. I heard something of that, too," returned Jason Brooke, who seemed to take a malicious gratification in probing the sore of his visitor. "But, as you say, the difficulty is only trifling, after all, to a man of your resources. And that reminds me of the other trade. How does that go on, Mr. Gilbert ?"

"Hush! my dear sir: not a word about that," returned the smuggling chief, in a cautious whisper. "Not that I can have the slightest suspicion or fear, you know; but, since you have declined to take part in these small ventures, as a matter of etiquette, you see, and of precaution, and with due consideration to your own

"There, that will do, Mr. Gilbert," interposed the host, with