The Disentanglers

st chapter of the book of this chronicle, we told how the mercenary Mr. Jephson proved false to the beautiful Miss W

, he said, to the rural loneliness of Derbyshire, he had read in his own heart, and what he there deciphered convinced him that, as a man of honour, he had but one course before him: he must free Miss Willoughby from her engagement. The lady was one of those who suffer in silence. She made no moan, and

on the whole of the opposite sex, the baseness of a Fellow of his College. Such is the frenzy of an injured love-illogical indeed (for we are not

leton, of the North. Entering the rooms, he fumbled with the string of his eyeglass, and, after capturing it, looked at Logan with an air of some bewilderment. He was a tall, erect, slim, a

said the Earl to Logan. 'Your

en you at several places;' an

en's,' said Lord Embleton. 'You are

lation: my na

ig family?' said the

rquis,' said Logan, adding,

the Earl. 'What a strange coincidence! How small the world is, how brie

?' said

examining some documents in my muniment-room, I made a discovery as interesting to me as it must

apture the King?' asked Logan,

hat obscure and unexplained affair, in which his

ystery! You may remember that an unknown per

was never identified.

fine purple, twiddled the obsolete little

r was a member of my own family. Our name is not Harris-a name very honourably borne

t you have just found out, you will excuse my ignorance,' said Log

to me to indicate a frivolity as to matters of the past which, I must confess, is apt to make m

what he is doing with his Tales of a Grandfather here,' thought Logan, but he only

der of our house, as far as mere titles are concerned. We were but squires of Northumbria,

s pedigree!'

nown correspondent. I am not skilled in reading old hands, and I am anxious to secure a trustwort

cal copyist. However, he remembered Miss Willoughby, and said that he knew a lady of great skill and indus

though unfortunate house, nearly allied, as I told you,

daughter of t

' exclaimed the peer, and he sat in silence, deeply

ust will, as my cousin, accept my hospitality at Rookchester. I shall be deeply interested, as you, no dou

d not have arisen if the Earl had found Merton at home. The Earl obviously had a difficulty in coming to the point: many clients had. To approach a total stranger on the most intimate domestic affairs (even if hi

est houses and families, is to me, I may say, distasteful. Better that our coronets were dimmed than that they should be gilded with the gold e

urmured

expansiveness of the shy; 'but I never

ything of that sort was in my own possession. In that r

akin to my own, unusual as they are!' said the Earl. 'I am a

o business now,

s inordinately wealthy, the sole heiress of-' Here the Earl gasped, and was visibly affected. 'You may have heard, sir,' the patrician went on, 'of a com

the existence of the phrase, thoug

dle, operated by her only known male ancestor, in

name, wealth, and the source of the wealt

ween us-with all the respect due to youth, beauty, and an amiable disposition,' s

e, as it seemed, had secured that coveted prize of the youth of England, the heart of the opulent M

ection, however unwelcome. A man's word is his word. It is in these circumstances of doubt (when the fortunes of a house a

ter irremediable? I am acquainted with your son, Lord Scremerst

; you will

rt allied with-h'm-a rather confident and sanguine disposition. I think it may console you to reflect that perhaps he rath

itively proposed to her. He knows my opinion: he is a dutiful son, but

that a little,' said Loga

w,' said the Earl. 'You conso

ain, when his client held u

, Mr. Logan. I h

uainted with the daughter, Lady

o a South African

oyal in origin, if it comes to that. To the House of Bourbon I

n ga

a lady 'multimillionaire' for his son, and a

l-gotten gold-silver

be Bristles this t

sed on the roulet

e of Scalastro

know the worst

o owned a percentage of two or three thousand which Loga

his-h'm-dominions. I fear it is, on both sides, a deep and passionate sentiment. And now, Mr. Logan, you know the full extent of my misfortunes: what course does your

ance of mournful sympathy. The Earl silently extended his hand, which Logan took. On few occasions had a stra

doubt, to consult my partner, Mr. Merton; we have naturally no secrets between us, and he possesses a delicacy of touch and a power of insight which I can only regard with admiring envy. It was he who carried to a successful issue tha

ike Eum?us in Homer and in Mr. Stephen Phillips, I

tan's favourite son, the Jam, or Crown Prince, of Mingrelia (Jamreal, they called

ays given my vote against the Deceased Wif

gan; 'and the Eastern races are not averse to connections which are re

the heretic

seek elsewhere

the Jamreal himself, were passionately attached to each other. It was known, too, that, for political reasons, the maidens had received a dispensation from the leading Archimandrite, their metropolitan, to marry the proud Paynim. The Mingrelian Sultan is suzerain of Bollachia; his

d the Earl, shaki

on displayed extraordinary tact and address. All was happily settled, the Sultan and the Jamreal were reconciled, t

ong been-ever since the Gunpowder Plot-firmly, if not passionately, att

tance with the parties c

tter one whose ancestor was so closely connected with my own. We shall examine my documents under the

o consult Merton, which was granted. The Earl then shook

sation was duly report

to do next?

ty place, but there is no fishing just now. Then we must ask Lord Embleton to meet Miss Willoughby. The interv

anuscripts are concerned; but how about the

s. I do not know any of the lovers.

ts money, like the rest of the world: but his father won't let him be a director

ts to marr

jection to them; but ha

ember her,'

autiful, by Jove; and, I fancy, clever

money, and yet the o

the bristles and

a foreigner,' said Merton, bestowing on the Royal youth the highest compliment whic

ening to inherit a gambling establishment and the garden it stands in. He is

y good sort of people. And Lady Alice Guevara? I hardly know her

lives,' added Logan.

nge her creed?

it,' said Logan. 'She is more

erson, Logan, but I do not think that you could attract Lady Alice's affections and disentangle her in that way. Besides, the Prince would have you out. Then Miss Ba

see Miss Willoughby and arrange about her visit to him and his manuscripts. The you

gan sentences, dropped them, and looked pathetically at Logan. Merton understood. The Earl had taken to Logan (on account of their hereditary partnership in an ancient iniquity), and it was obviou

hat, finding his ownership of the gambling establishment distasteful to her, he had determined not to renew the lease to the company. He added that since his boyhood, having been educated in Germany, he had entertained scruples about the position which he

urious,' s

erhaps find out the reasons which actuate that no doubt respectable person. In the meantime, as I would constrain nobody in

of the Prince, and privately wondered how the young people wou

oung in the gladness of his heart, 'he smelled April and May,' he was clad becomingly in summer raiment, and to Logan it was quite a p

sons why the Prince's director had rather discoura

mmunity, I fear, often prefer what they think the interests of their Church to those of our common Christianity. A portion of the great wealth of the Scalastro

e,' said Logan; 'but the practice proved that the

truck by Miss Willoughby. She was tall and dark, with large grey eyes, a Greek profile, and a brow which could, on occasion, be thunderous and lowering, so that Miss Willoughby seemed to all a remarkably fine young woman; while the educated spectator was involunt

crimson-tipp

to quote th

near the window while he discussed private business with Miss Willoughby. The good-humoured girl retired to contem

oman and a guest, you understand, and

that than otherwise,' sai

s to be thought unworthy of the daughter of the house; and the son of the ho

Willoughby. 'Is the idea that the Prince and the

ltar of Venus Verticordia,

mbered the vindictive feeling with which she now regarded his sex, he thought that she, if anyone, was capable of executing the

course,' he said, and, as he spoke, Log

oon retired to her own apartment, and wrestled with the cor

in her favour, and there was a touch of the affectionate in his courtesy. After congratulating himself on recovering a kinswoman of a long-separated branch of his family, and after a good deal of genealogical disquisition, he explained the nature of t

hat beautiful creature condemned to waste her lovely eyes on faded ink and yellow

ct of his affairs, and, after fixing Logan's visit to Rookchester for t

come of this, but something will come of it

erton. 'You ought only to

lo to her young companions at St. Ursula's. Now mantles were draped on her stately shoulde

hester,' Merton went on, 'or th

an old popular song, 'nor I am not a prince, but a shade or two wuss; and I t

e news of it,