THE TRETENDED DOUGLAS. 373 



look as little like a man of his calling as possible, they returned 

 to Lincoln's Inn — but the boy was nowhere to be seen. They 

 then walked into Holborn, got into a cab, and pulling down the 

 blinds, drove to the Brompton road. Tom was on his post at 

 the corner, and Lord Henry seeing him, pulled up, when the 

 boy, running to the door whispered the number of the house 

 which he said the lawyer had just left, and was walking towards 

 his own home, which lay farther down the road. The cab was 

 dismissed, and Lord Henry with his friend approached arm-in- 

 arm to the house. On ringing the bell, the door was opened by 

 a servant girl, who seeing a handsome-looking gentleman in 

 Lord Henry (the officer having turned his back towards her), 

 said she believed Mr. Monkton was at home ; on which both 

 entered the passage, and the door was closed. 



" What name shall I say, sir 1 " asked the girl. 



A friend's card being substituted for his own, Lord Henry 

 was shown up-stairs into a back sitting-room, and a tall, rather 

 genteel-looking young man came forward to meet him. 



" Your name is Monkton, sir, I believe," said Lord Henry. 

 A bow was returned only. " I wish to know," continued his 

 lordship, " whether you are really Mr. Monkton or not, before 

 entering on my business." 



"My name is Monkton, sir." 



"And I think you are acquainted with a friend of mine 

 also, Mr. Mangle, of Lincoln's Inn," added Lord Henry. 



An affirmative being given, Lord Henry proceeded, "you 

 have assumed another name lately, Mr. Monkton, that of 

 Douglas, and are attempting to set up a claim to the property 

 of Miss Douglas, in Scotland, on the plea of being her cousin." 

 The eyes of Lord Henry were riveted on Monkton's face (from 

 which the Bow Street officer had never wandered since entering 

 the room) and he turned pale during this address, his lips 

 quivering with fear, when Lord Henry, reading guilt in his 

 averted looks, suddenly exclaimed, " You are an impostor, sir." 

 '•'And my prisoner," added the official, producing a pair of 

 hand-cnffs. "I am a Bow Street officer, Mr. Monkton, alias 

 Douglas, alias Jones ; and I think, sir, I have had the pleasure 

 of meeting you before." 



In a moment the culprit fell on his knees before Lord 

 Henry, begging and imploring not to be sent to prison, and he 

 would reveal everything. " Indeed, sir, I have been put up to 

 this by Mangle, indeed I have, and will tell you the whole 

 plot if you will only spare me." 



