the accident; a man of your humanedisposition ought to be

delighted.'
'Then, if that's so,' Morris broke forth, 'how about the body?

You don't mean to insinuate that thing I schemed and sweated for,
and colported with my own hands, was the body of a total

stranger?'
'O no, we can't go as far as that,' said Michael soothingly; 'you

may have met him at the club.'
Morris fell into a chair. 'I would have found it out if it had

come to the house,' he complained. 'And why didn't it? why did it
go to Pitman? what right had Pitman to open it?'

'If you come to that, Morris, what have you done with the
colossal Hercules?' asked Michael.

'He went through it with the meat-axe,' said John. 'It's all in
spillikins in the back garden.'

'Well, there's one thing,' snapped Morris; 'there's my uncle
again, my fraudulent trustee. He's mine, anyway. And the tontine

too. I claim the tontine; I claim it now. I believe Uncle
Masterman's dead.'

'I must put a stop to this nonsense,' said Michael, 'and that for
ever. You say too near the truth. In one sense your uncle is

dead, and has been so long; but not in the sense of the tontine,
which it is even on the cards he may yet live to win. Uncle

Joseph saw him this morning; he will tell you he still lives, but
his mind is in abeyance.'

'He did not know me,' said Joseph; to do him justice, not without
emotion.

'So you're out again there, Morris,' said John. 'My eye! what a
fool you've made of yourself!'

'And that was why you wouldn't compromise,' said Morris.
'As for the absurd position in which you and Uncle Joseph have

been making yourselves an exhibition,' resumed Michael, 'it is
more than time it came to an end. I have prepared a proper

discharge in full, which you shall sign as a preliminary.'
'What?' cried Morris, 'and lose my seven thousand eight hundred

pounds, and the leather business, and the contingent interest,
and get nothing? Thank you.'

'It's like you to feel gratitude, Morris,' began Michael.
'O, I know it's no good appealing to you, you sneering devil!'

cried Morris. 'But there's a stranger present, I can't think why,
and I appeal to him. I was robbed of that money when I was an

orphan, a mere child, at a commercialacademy. Since then, I've
never had a wish but to get back my own. You may hear a lot of

stuff about me; and there's no doubt at times I have been
ill-advised. But it's the pathos of my situation; that's what I

want to show you.'
'Morris,' interrupted Michael, 'I do wish you would let me add

one point, for I think it will affect your judgement. It's
pathetic too since that's your taste in literature.'

'Well, what is it?' said Morris.
'It's only the name of one of the persons who's to witness your

signature, Morris,' replied Michael. 'His name's Moss, my dear.'
There was a long silence. 'I might have been sure it was you!'

cried Morris.
'You'll sign, won't you?' said Michael.

'Do you know what you're doing?' cried Morris. 'You're
compounding a felony.'

'Very well, then, we won't compound it, Morris,' returned
Michael. 'See how little I understood the sterlingintegrity of

your character! I thought you would prefer it so.'
'Look here, Michael,' said John, 'this is all very fine and

large; but how about me? Morris is gone up, I see that; but I'm
not. And I was robbed, too, mind you; and just as much an orphan,

and at the blessed same academy as himself'
'Johnny,' said Michael, 'don't you think you'd better leave it to

me?'
'I'm your man,' said John. 'You wouldn't deceive a poor orphan,

I'll take my oath. Morris, you sign that document, or I'll start
in and astonish your weak mind.'

With a sudden alacrity, Morris proffered his willingness. Clerks
were brought in, the discharge was executed, and there was Joseph

a free man once more.
'And now,' said Michael, 'hear what I propose to do. Here, John

and Morris, is the leather business made over to the pair of you
in partnership. I have valued it at the lowest possible figure,

Pogram and Jarris's. And here is a cheque for the balance of your
fortune. Now, you see, Morris, you start fresh from the

commercialacademy; and, as you said yourself the leather
business was looking up, I suppose you'll probably marry before

long. Here's your marriage present--from a Mr Moss.'
Morris bounded on his cheque with a crimsoned countenance.

'I don't understand the performance,' remarked John. 'It seems
too good to be true.'

'It's simply a readjustment,' Michael explained. 'I take up Uncle
Joseph's liabilities; and if he gets the tontine, it's to be

mine; if my father gets it, it's mine anyway, you see. So that
I'm rather advantageously placed.'

'Morris, my unconverted friend, you've got left,' was John's
comment.

'And now, Mr Forsyth,' resumed Michael, turning to his silent
guest, 'here are all the criminals before you, except Pitman. I

really didn't like to interrupt his scholastic career; but you
can have him arrested at the seminary--I know his hours. Here we

are then; we're not pretty to look at: what do you propose to do
with us?'

'Nothing in the world, Mr Finsbury,' returned Gideon. 'I seem to
understand that this gentleman'---indicating Morris--'is the fons

et origo of the trouble; and, from what I gather, he has already
paid through the nose. And really, to be quite frank, I do not

see who is to gain by any scandal; not me, at least. And besides,
I have to thank you for that brief.'

Michael blushed. 'It was the least I could do to let you have
some business,' he said. 'But there's one thing more. I don't

want you to misjudge poor Pitman, who is the most harmless being
upon earth. I wish you would dine with me tonight, and see the

creature on his native heath--say at Verrey's?'
'I have no engagement, Mr Finsbury,' replied Gideon. 'I shall be

delighted. But subject to your judgement, can we do nothing for
the man in the cart? I have qualms of conscience.'

'Nothing but sympathize,' said Michael.
End

• disposition [,dispə´ziʃən] n.安排；性情；倾向 (初中英语单词)
• absurd [əb´sə:d] a.荒谬的，可笑的 (初中英语单词)
• gratitude [´grætitju:d] n.感激，感谢 (初中英语单词)
• commercial [kə´mə:ʃəl] a.商业的 n.广告节目 (初中英语单词)
• academy [ə´kædəmi] n.专科学校；学会；协会 (初中英语单词)
• affect [ə´fekt] vt.影响；感动；假装 (初中英语单词)
• judgement [´dʒʌdʒmənt] n.审判；报应；批评 (初中英语单词)
• witness [´witnis] n.见证人 vt.目击 (初中英语单词)
• compound [kəm´paund] n.&a.混合(的) v.合成 (初中英语单词)
• deceive [di´si:v] vt.欺骗，欺诈 (初中英语单词)
• astonish [ə´stɔniʃ] vt.使惊讶；使惊异 (初中英语单词)
• discharge [dis´tʃɑ:dʒ] vt.&n.卸货；释放；解雇 (初中英语单词)
• interrupt [,intə´rʌpt] v.中断；打扰 (初中英语单词)
• career [kə´riə] n.经历；生涯；职业 (初中英语单词)
• engagement [in´geidʒmənt] n.婚约；雇用；受聘 (初中英语单词)
• appeal [ə´pi:l] vi.&n.请求；呼吁；上诉 (高中英语单词)
• document [´dɔkjumənt] n.公文；文件；证件 (高中英语单词)
• partnership [´pɑ:tnəʃip] n.合伙关系 (高中英语单词)
• scandal [´skændl] n.丑闻；耻辱；流言蜚语 (高中英语单词)
• harmless [´hɑ:mləs] a.无害的，无恶意的 (高中英语单词)
• trustee [trʌs´ti:] n.托管人；保管人 (英语四级单词)
• sterling [´stə:liŋ] a.真正的 n.英国货币 (英语四级单词)
• integrity [in´tegriti] n.完整；完善；正直 (英语四级单词)
• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
• humane [hju:´mein] a.有人情的，高尚的 (英语六级单词)
• insinuate [in´sinjueit] 迂回进入；暗示 (英语六级单词)
• willingness [´wiliŋnis] n.情愿，乐意，自愿 (英语六级单词)