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Cathcart had said all kinds of things when once he was started--all with that air of businesslike briskness that was so characteristic of hiized for it as an amiable weakness, if he had been in the least shamefaced or deprecatory, it would have been another ives any little exceptional eccentricity But to hear hih unusual) as the production of radiuraphy--as established, indubitable facts, though out of the range of common experience--this had amazed this very practical s which he would not aly iht had been credible even to the darkest medievalists; and all this with that same sharp, sane humor that lent an air of reality to all that he said

For ros were not so hopelessly incongruous, though obviously they were bad for hiious youth; but for Cathcart, aged sixty-two, a solicitor in good practice, with a wife and two grown-up daughters, and a reputation for exceptionally sound shrewdness--! But it must be remembered he was a Catholic!

So Mr James Morton sat in the "Cock" and pondered He was not sorry he had tried to take steps to choke off this young fool, and he was just a little sorry that so far they had failed He had written to Miss Deronnais in an impulse, after an unusually feverish outburst from the boy; and she, he had learnt later, had written to Mr Cathcart The rest had been of the other's devising

Well, it had failed so far Perhaps next week things would be better

He paid his bill, left two pence for the waiter, and went out He had a case that afternoon

III

Laurie left cha dark that afternoon, and went back to his rooms for tea He had passed, as was usual now, an extre over his books with spas, in fact, to be not quite sure whether Law after all was his vocation

His kettle was singing pleasantly on the hob, and a tray gliht on the little table, as the woman had left it; and it was not until he had poured himself out a cup of tea that he saw on the white cloth an envelope, directed to hi of persons engaged in business Even then he did not open it at once; it was probably only some note connected with his chief's affairs