"It is one of the most melancholy cases I ever met with!" exclaimed Gammon with a sigh. "I suppose the reverses of the Aubrey family frequently formed a subject of her ladyship's conversation?”

“Oh, she has talked with me for hours together—and even very shortly before her last illness!”

"It is, methinks, enough to raise the poor old lady from her grave, to find her property diverted thus to one who does not want it, and who was a total stranger!"

“I am a little surprised, to tell you the truth, that, under the circumstances, her ladyship should not have thought of at least sharing the policy between Miss Aubrey and Mr-"

"I do assure you that that is the very thing I have heard her several times talking about lately!"

"That will do," thought his wily companion; "thank God she's clearly intestate then, for Parkinson's draught does not contain her last will and testament-that will do-thank you, my honest friend!" This was what was passing through Gammon's mind, while a sympathizing expression was upon his face, and he shook his head, and deplored the untoward event which had happened, in very pathetic terms indeed. On quitting Mr Parkinson, Gammon thus pursued the train of his thoughts:—

"What if I should allow this paper to be admitted to probate? Let me see- -It will give Miss Aubrey some fifteen thousand pounds :—or one might take out administration in favour of Titmouse, and then suggest to her that I had the means of nullifying the proceedings, and carrying into effect Lady Stratton's intentions-for the Letters may be repealed at any time.-Stay, however. It is by no means impossible, that when Parkinson comes to communicate with Aubrey, or that deep old fellow Runnington, they may think of lodging a caveat against our letters of administration: but they'll fail-for Parkinson must speak conclusively on that point. So, perhaps, the better way will be, to take out administration in the usual way, and see what they will do.-Then, there's Aubrey's bond-poor devil!-is it not unfortunate for him?—But that shall be reserved; let us see the effect of our other movements, first." When Mr Gammon returned to Yatton from the late Lady

VOL. III.

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Stratton's residence, he found several letters awaiting his arrival. One was from Mr Quirk-poor muddle-headed old soul!—all went wrong with him, the moment that he missed Gammon from beside him. He wrote letters every day, that were a faithful type of the confusion that always prevailed in his thoughts; for though he was "up to" the ordinary criminal business of the office, in which he had had some forty years' experience, their general business had latterly become so extended, and, to Quirk, complicated, that his head, as it were, spun round from morning to night, and all he could do was to put himself, and every body about him, into a bustle and fever. So he told Gammon, in this his last letter, that every thing was going wrong, and would do so till "good friend Gammon returned;" and, moreover, the old gentleman complained that Snap was getting very careless and irregular in his attendance -and, in fact, he-Quirk-had something very particular to say to Gammon, when they met, about the aforesaid Snapabout this the reader shall hear in due time. Then came a letter from the Earl of Dreddlington, marked “Private and confidential," containing a most important communication, to the effect that his lordship had that day granted an audience to a scientific gentleman of great eminence, and particularly well skilled in geology; and he had satisfied the Earl of a fact which the aforesaid scientific gentleman told his lordship he had discovered after a very close geological survey of the superficial strata of the Isle of Dogs-viz. that at a very little depth from the surface, there ran, in parallel strata, rich beds of copper, lead, and coal, alternately, such as could not possibly fail of making a quick and enormous return. His lordship, therefore, suggested the immediate formation of a company to purchase the Isle of Dogs, and work the mines!-and "begged to be favoured with" Mr Gammon's views on this subject, by return of post. In a postscript, his lordship informed Gammon, that he had just parted with all his Golden Egg shares, at a considerable profit; and that the Gunpowder and Fresh Water Company's shares were rising daily, on account of the increasing probability of a universal war. Gammon did not think it worth while to send any answer to the letter of his senior partner, but wrote off a very polite and confidential letter to the Earl, beg

ging his lordship would do him the honour of taking no steps in the matter till Mr Gammon could have the honour of waiting upon his lordship in town. This letter over, Gammon wrote off another to the secretary of the VULTURE INSURANCE COMPANY, giving them notice of the death of Lady Stratton, who was insured in their office in a policy to the amount of £15,000, to which, her ladyship having died intestate, the writer's client, Tittlebat Titmouse, Esq., M.P. for Yatton, had become entitled as only next of kin : That Mr Titmouse intended to administer forthwith, and formal evidence would be furnished to the Company, in due time, of the completion of Mr Titmouse's legal title to the policy.

But here I am concerned to say the skittish, frolicsome, and malicious jade, Fortune, after petting and fondling Titmouse, and overwhelming him with her favours, suddenly turned round and hit him a severe slap in the face, without the least provocation on his part, or rhyme or reason on hers. And it happened in this wise. DAPPER SMUG, Esq., the secretary of the Vulture, wrote by return of post, saying that he had laid Mr Cammon's letter before the directors; and that as soon as he should have learned their pleasure on the subject, he would write to Mr Gammón again. And so he did—but only to request that gentleman to communicate with Messrs Screw and Son, the Company's solicitors. This Mr Gammon did, and in due time received a letter to the astounding purport and effect following—that is to say, that they had carefully considered the case, and regretted sincerely that they could not feel it their duty to recommend the directors to pay the policy!! The directors had a duty, sometimes they would have it appear-a very painful one, to perform to the public; and, in short, it was plain that they intended to resist the claim altogether! Gammon wrote in astonishment to know the grounds of their refusal; and at length discovered that that truly respectable Company considered themselves in possession of decisive evidence to show that the policy was vitiated through the concealment, or rather the non-communication of a material fact on the part of the late Lady Stratton-possibly unintentionally-viz. that she was, at the time of executing the policy, subject to the GOUT. Gammon made anxious enquiries of the servants, of Dr Goddart, Mr Parkinson, and of others,

who expressed infinite astonishment, declaring that she had never once exhibited the slightest symptoms of the complaint. Messrs Screw, however, were politely inflexible-they declared that they had the positive testimony of several witnesses, one of them an eminent physician, to the fact that, during the very week in which the policy had been executed, she had experienced an attack of gout which had confined her to the sofa for three days. [The simple fact was, that her ladyship had about that time certainly been confined to the sofa, but merely from her heel having been galled a little by a tight shoe.] They, moreover, sent to Mr Gammon the full name of the officer in whose name the Company was to be sued the aforesaid Dapper Smug; and requested Mr Gammon to forward process to them in the usual way. Gammon, on enquiry, learned the character of the Company, and almost gnashed his teeth in rage and despair!-So at it they wentTITMOUSE (Adm".) v. SMUG. Then came a Declaration as long as my arm; Pleas to match it; then a Commission to examine witnesses abroad, principally a Dr Podagra, who had settled in China; then a Bill of Discovery filed on behalf of the Company; a Cross Bill filed by Mr Titmouse against the Company; a Demurrer to the one, Exceptions to the Answer, to the other. Here, in short, was in truth "a mighty pretty quarrel." The stake was adequate; the Company rich; Mr Titmouse eager; Gammon infuriate; and there was not the least chance of the thing being decided at all for three or four years to come, and poor Titmouse was thus not only kept out of a comfortable round sum of money, but obliged to carry on all the while an expensive and harassing litigation. So much for insuring with a Company that looks so sharply after the interests of its shareholders, in preference to those of the survivors of the dead insurers!-But as far as Titmouse and Gammon were concerned, it seemed a dead-lock, and at a somewhat critical conjuncture too.

CHAPTER VII.

THE sudden and unexpected rebuff encountered by Mr Gammon, in the Vulture Insurance Company's refusal to pay the policy on the late Lady Stratton's life, was calculated seriously to embarrass his complicated movements. He foresaw the protracted and harassing course of litigation into which he should be driven, before he could compel them to liquidate so heavy a claim; and a glimpse of which, by way of anticipation, has been afforded to the reader; but, with all his long-headedness—his habitual contemplation of the probable and possible effects and consequences of whatever event happened to him—this refusal of the directors to pay the policy was attended with results which defied his calculations results of such a description, and of such signal importance, as will perhaps surprise the reader, and serve to illustrate, in a striking manner, the controlling agency which is at work in the conduct of human affairs-an agency to which the principles of Mr Gammon denied an existence. Nor was this the only trouble-the only reverse—that about this period occurred to him; and not a little perplexed was he to account for such a sudden confluence of adverse circumstances as he by-andby experienced, when he found the truth of the King of Denmark's observation

"When sorrows come-they come not single spies,

But IN BATTALIONS." 99*

On applying at Doctor's Commons, in the ordinary way, for a grant to Mr Titmouse of Letters of Administration to Lady Stratton, Mr Gammon discovered the existence of a little document, for which he certainly was not entirely unprepared, but which, nevertheless, somewhat disconcerted him; principally on

* Hamlet.