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wedding present.’
    He went to the door and called to his young partner. ‘Old Clarke’s been giving me instructions for a fresh will,’ he said. ‘Everything to the Jennie girl, unless she is married at his death. If she is married, everything to charity. He specially mentioned that I was to tell you.’
    There was a faint, malicious smile on Marsden’s lips as he said this, and for a moment or two Peter made no reply. Then he said slowly and deliberately:
    â€˜We rather expected something of the sort.’
    â€˜Who is “we”?’ demanded Marsden.
    â€˜Jennie and I,’ Peter answered. ‘You see, we were married three weeks ago.’
    â€˜What?’ shouted Marsden. ‘What?’
    But Peter did not think it necessary to repeat what he had said.
    â€˜Good Lord!’ said Marsden, slowly taking it in. ‘Does he know?’
    â€˜I don’t suppose he knows,’ Peter answered. ‘I expect he has some idea.’
    â€˜Well, I’m blessed,’ said Marsden, coming into the room and sitting down. ‘You young fool, you’ve done it now – the girl won’t get a penny.’
    Peter said nothing, and Marsden sat staring and thinking till another and startling idea came to him.
    â€˜Good Lord!’ he cried, ‘ten to one he’ll take it out of the firm – he’ll ruin the firm for this. You fool, you’ve done me in, too.’
    â€˜I thought of that,’ answered Peter calmly, ‘so I’ll get out. You can tell him you’ve given me the sack, if you like. That’ll calm him down as far as you’re concerned. My wife’ – he flushed crimson, the words were still new to him, still wonderful and lovely – ‘my wife and I talked it all over. We expected something like this. That is one reason why we thought it better to get married privately – that can’t be undone, and Sir Christopher can do what he likes, but he can’t undo our marriage, so it will be no good his trying to bully Jennie. There’s no telling what he mightn’t have been up to before, but now he can’t do anything. But very likely he would try to get at me and perhaps at you as well, if I was still here. So I’ll get out. I shan’t be sorry to chuck the job, anyhow. I’m no good at it, and never shall be. I should never make a lawyer and don’t want to, either. I’ve talked it over with Willy Simmonds. He’s willing to buy me out and come in with you. It’ll be a good thing for you, he’s a jolly smart chap and he has lots of experience and a fair practice already.’
    Marsden had become very pale. He said nothing, but his expression had become so strange that Peter was quite alarmed.
    â€˜What’s up?’ he said. ‘I thought you would jump at the idea. You will get a clever brainy fellow as partner instead of a duffer at the job like me – you were cursing heaven only yesterday for having landed you with me for a partner. Simmonds is coming along to see you any time you like – what’s the matter? You don’t object to Simmonds, do you? You told me yourself last week you wished to the Lord you had someone like him to work with.’
    â€˜You fool – you fool – you infernal fool,’ Marsden stammered, ‘you’ve ruined me and yourself, too.’
    â€˜What on earth–?’ began Peter, but Marsden jumped to his feet in a fury.
    â€˜You fool,’ he almost screamed, ‘you may as well know now, you would have sooner or later. There’s a deficiency of Lord knows how much – I don’t. I had to take money where I could get it to make up the Belfort Trust. I was afraid old Clarke would spot something was wrong, but I suppose as long as the totals were right, he didn’t care. I’ve had to take money from half a dozen other accounts and do you suppose Simmonds will buy without finding that