All these searchings for the murderers of Mr. Trumbull, and these remandings of Sam Brattle, took place in the month of September, and during that same month the energy of other men of law was very keenly at work on a widely different subject. Could Messrs. Block and Curling assure Captain Marrable that a portion of his inheritance would be saved for him, or had that graceless father of his in very truth seized upon it all? There was no shadow of doubt but that if aught was spared, it had not been spared through any delicacy¹ on the part of the Colonel. The Colonel had gone to work, paying creditors² who were clamorous³ against him, the moment he had got his hand upon the money, and had gone to work also gambling⁴, and had made assignments of money, and done his very best to spend the whole. But there was a question whether a certain sum of ￡5000, which seemed to have got into the hands of a certain lady who protested that she wanted it very badly, might not be saved. Messrs. Block and Curling thought that it might, but were by no means certain. It probably might be done, if the Captain would consent to bring the matter before a jury; in which case the whole story of the father’s iniquity⁵ must, of course, be proved. Or it might be that by threatening to do this, the lady’s friends would relax their grasp on receiving a certain present out of the money.

“We would offer them ￡50, and perhaps they would take ￡500,” said Messrs. Block and Curling.

All this irritated the Captain. He was intensely averse⁶ to any law proceedings⁷ by which the story should be made public.

“I won’t pretend that it is on my father’s account,” said he to his uncle. Parson John shrugged⁸ his shoulders, and shook his head, meaning to imply that it certainly was a bad case, but that as Colonel Marrable was a Marrable, he ought to be spared, if possible. “It is on my own account,” continued the Captain, “and partly, perhaps, on that of the family. I would endure anything rather than have the

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