and, I have no doubt, well-deserved reports."

Francis entreated him to be more specific.
"You cannot picture my uneasiness as to these conditions," he said.

"They are two," replied the lawyer, "only two; and the sum, as you
will remember, is five hundred a-year - and unburdened, I forgot to

add, unburdened."
And the lawyer raised his eyebrows at him with solemn gusto.

"The first," he resumed, "is of remarkablesimplicity. You must be
in Paris by the afternoon of Sunday, the 15th; there you will find,

at the box-office of the Comedie Francaise, a ticket for admission
taken in your name and waiting you. You are requested to sit out

the whole performance in the seat provided, and that is all."
"I should certainly have preferred a week-day," replied Francis. "

But, after all, once in a way - "
"And in Paris, my dear sir," added the lawyer soothingly. "I

believe I am something of a precisian myself, but upon such a
consideration, and in Paris, I should not hesitate an instant."

And the pair laughed pleasantly together.
"The other is of more importance," continued the Writer to the

Signet. "It regards your marriage. My client, taking a deep
interest in your welfare, desires to advise you absolutely in the

choice of a wife. Absolutely, you understand," he repeated.
"Let us be more explicit, if you please," returned Francis. "Am I

to marry any one, maid or widow, black or white, whom this
invisible person chooses to propose?"

"I was to assure you that suitability of age and position should be
a principle with your benefactor," replied the lawyer. "As to

race, I confess the difficulty had not occurred to me, and I failed
to inquire; but if you like I will make a note of it at once, and

advise you on the earliest opportunity."
"Sir," said Francis, "it remains to be seen whether this whole

affair is not a most unworthy fraud. The circumstances are
inexplicable - I had almost said incredible; and until I see a

little more daylight, and some plausible motive, I confess I should
be very sorry to put a hand to the transaction. I appeal to you in

this difficulty for information. I must learn what is at the
bottom of it all. If you do not know, cannot guess, or are not at

liberty to tell me, I shall take my hat and go back to my bank as
came."

"I do not know," answered the lawyer, "but I have an excellent
guess. Your father, and no one else, is at the root of this

apparently unnatural business."
"My father!" cried Francis, in extremedisdain. "Worthy man, I

know every thought of his mind, every penny of his fortune!"
"You misinterpret my words," said the lawyer. "I do not refer to

Mr. Scrymgeour, senior; for he is not your father. When he and his
wife came to Edinburgh, you were already nearly one year old, and

you had not yet been three months in their care. The secret has
been well kept; but such is the fact. Your father is unknown, and

I say again that I believe him to be the original of the offers I
am charged at present to transmit to you."

It would be impossible to exaggerate the astonishment of Francis
Scrymgeour at this unexpected information. He pled this confusion

to the lawyer.
"Sir," said he, "after a piece of news so startling, you must grant

me some hours for thought. You shall know this evening what
conclusion I have reached."

The lawyer commended his prudence; and Francis, excusing himself
upon some pretext at the bank, took a long walk into the country,

and fully considered the different steps and aspects of the case.
A pleasant sense of his own importance rendered him the more

deliberate: but the issue was from the first not doubtful. His
whole carnal man leaned irresistibly towards the five hundred a

year, and the strange conditions with which it was burdened; he
discovered in his heart an invincible repugnance to the name of

Scrymgeour, which he had never hitherto disliked; he began to
despise the narrow and unromantic interests of his former life; and

when once his mind was fairly made up, he walked with a new feeling
of strength and freedom, and nourished himself with the gayest

anticipations.
He said but a word to the lawyer, and immediately received a cheque

for two quarters' arrears; for the allowance was ante-dated from
the first of January. With this in his pocket, he walked home.

The flat in Scotland Street looked mean in his eyes; his nostrils,
for the first time, rebelled against the odour of broth; and he

observed little defects of manner in his adoptive father which
filled him with surprise and almost with disgust. The next day, he

determined, should see him on his way to Paris.
In that city, where he arrived long before the appointed date, he

put up at a modest hotel frequented by English and Italians, and
devoted himself to improvement in the French tongue; for this

purpose he had a master twice a week, entered into conversation
with loiterers in the Champs Elysees, and nightly frequented the

theatre. He had his whole toilette fashionably renewed; and was
shaved and had his hair dressed every morning by a barber in a

neighbouring street. This gave him something of a foreign air, and
seemed to wipe off the reproach of his past years.

At length, on the Saturday afternoon, he betook himself to the box-
office of the theatre in the Rue Richelieu. No sooner had he

mentioned his name than the clerk produced the order in an envelope
of which the address was scarcely dry.

"It has been taken this moment," said the clerk.
"Indeed!" said Francis. "May I ask what the gentleman was like?"

"Your friend is easy to describe," replied the official. "He is
old and strong and beautiful, with white hair and a sabre-cut

across his face. You cannot fail to recognise so marked a person."
"No, indeed," returned Francis; "and I thank you for your

politeness."
"He cannot yet be far distant," added the clerk. "If you make

haste you might still overtake him."
Francis did not wait to be twice told; he ran precipitately from

the theatre into the middle of the street and looked in all
directions. More than one white-haired man was within sight; but

though he overtook each of them in succession, all wanted the
sabre-cut. For nearly half-an-hour he tried one street after

another in the neighbourhood, until at length, recognising the
folly of continued search, he started on a walk to compose his

agitated feelings; for this proximity of an encounter with him to
whom he could not doubt he owed the day had profoundly moved the

young man.
It chanced that his way lay up the Rue Drouot and thence up the Rue

des Martyrs; and chance, in this case, served him better than all
the forethought in the world. For on the outer boulevard he saw

two men in earnest colloquy upon a seat. One was dark, young, and
handsome, secularly dressed, but with an indelible clerical stamp;

the other answered in every particular to the description given him
by the clerk. Francis felt his heart beat high in his bosom; he

knew he was now about to hear the voice of his father; and making a
wide circuit, he noiselessly took his place behind the couple in

question, who were too much interested in their talk to observe
much else. As Francis had expected, the conversation was conducted

in the English language
"Your suspicions begin to annoy me, Rolles," said the older man.

"I tell you I am doing my utmost; a man cannot lay his hand on
millions in a moment. Have I not taken you up, a mere stranger,

out of pure good-will? Are you not living largely on my bounty?"
"On your advances, Mr. Vandeleur," corrected the other.

"Advances, if you choose; and interest instead of goodwill, if you
prefer it," returned Vandeleur angrily. "I am not here to pick

expressions. Business is business; and your business, let me