cloth had been cleared away, George suggested that they had better get
to work. Arthur assented, and Sir John, smiling with much sweetness,
remarked profoundly that business was one of the ills of life, and
must be attended to.

"At any rate, it is an ill that has agreed uncommonly well with you,"
growled George, as, rising from the table, he went to a solid iron
safe that stood in the corner of the room, and, unlocking it with a
small key that he took from his pocket, extracted a bundle of
documents.

"That is an excellent deed-box of yours, Caresfoot," said Sir John
carelessly.

"Yes; that lock would not be very easy to pick. It is made on my own
design."

"But don't you find that small parcels such as private letters are apt
to get lost in it? It is so big."

"Oh! no; there is a separate compartment for them. Now, Mr. Heigham."
And then, with the able and benign assistance of Sir John, he
proceeded to utterly confuse and mystify Arthur, till stocks,
preference-shares, consols, and mortgages were all whirling in his
bewildered brain. Having satisfactorily reduced him to this condition,
he suddenly sprang upon him the proposal he had in view with reference
to the Jotley mortgage, pointing out to him that it was an excellent
investment, and strongly advising him, "as a friend," to leave the
money upon the land. Arthur hesitated a little, more from natural
caution than anything he could urge to the contrary, and George,