Has there been any real confidence, Captain Lake, upon your part? You
have certainly had relations with Mr. Mark Wylder--correspondence, for
anything I know. You have entertained the project of purchasing the
Reverend William Wylder's reversion; and you have gone into
electioneering business, and formed connections of that sort, without
once doing me the honour to confer with me on the subject. Now, the plain
question is, do you wish to retain my services?'

'Certainly,' said Captain Lake, biting his lip, with a sinister little
frown.

'Then, Captain Lake, upon the same principle, and speaking quite
above-board, you must dismiss at once from your mind the idea that you
_can_ do so upon the terms you have of late seen fit to impose. I am
speaking frankly when I say there must be a total change. I must _be_ in
reality what I am held out to the world as being--your trusted, and
responsible, and _sole_ adviser. I don't aspire to the position--I am
willing at this moment to retire from it; but I never yet knew a divided
direction come to good. It is an office of great responsibility, and I
for one will not consent to touch it on any other conditions than those I
have taken the liberty to mention.'

'These are easily complied with--in fact I undertake to show you they
have never been disturbed,' answered Lake, rather sullenly. 'So that
being understood--eh?--I suppose we have nothing particular to add?'

And Captain Lake extended his gloved hand to take leave.

But the attorney looked down and then up, with a shadow on his face, and
his lip in his finger and thumb, and he said--