lights and attitudes, and handling his subject in round and flowing
sentences. This master of persuasion was not aware that Captain Lake was
arguing the question for himself, on totally different grounds, and that
it was fixed in his mind pretty much in these terms:--

'That old villain wants an exorbitant bribe--is he worth it?'

He knew what the lawyer thought he did _not_ know--that Five Oaks was
held by the lawyers to be possibly _without_ those unfortunate
limitations which affected all the rest of the estate. It was only a
moot-point; but the doubt had led Mr. Jos. Larkin to the selection.

'I'll look in upon you between eight and nine in the morning, and I'll
say yes or no then,' said the captain, as they parted under the old stone
porch, the attorney with a graceful inclination, a sad smile, and a wave
of his hand--the captain with his hands in the pockets of his loose coat,
and a sidelong glance from his yellow eyes.

The sky, as he looked toward Brandon, was draped in black cloud,
intensely black, meeting a black horizon--except for one little rent of
deep crimson which showed westward behind those antique gables and lordly
trees, like a lake of blood.




CHAPTER LVI.

THE BRANDON CONSERVATORY.