"I left him alone, for he was a good deal bigger than me."
"You were not a Boanerges then?"
"No, I was James the Less."
"What are you dreaming about, Mr. Coristine," called the Squire, "to let
all this wild talk go on without a word?"
"I am sorry to say I did not hear it, Squire," replied the moody lawyer,
whose little conversation had been wholly devoted to Mrs. Du Plessis.
After dinner, the lawyer repaired to the Squire's office, and briefly
informed him, that the fortune in funds and property to which his niece
had fallen heir was valued at 80,000 pounds sterling, and that,
fortunately, there was no sign of any contest or opposition in the
matter. He also explained that, under the circumstances, he felt
constrained to take a brief lodging at the post office, and begged Mr.
Carruthers to apologize to his wife for the desertion of Bridesdale.
Then, he sought out Mr Terry in the garden and smoked a pipe with him,
while his new friend, Mr. Douglas, was chatting on the verandah between
Miss Carmichael and Miss Graves. Nobody else seemed to want him or care
for him; he had even lost his old friend Wilks, who was absorbed in his
beloved Cecile.
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