The Real Charlotte. 351 



'' You ask me for something more definite than mere sus- 

 picion," continued Charlotte, approaching one of the 

 supremest gratifications of her hfe with full and luxurious 

 recognition. " I can give you two facts, and if, on investi- 

 gation, you find they are not correct, you may go to 

 Roderick Lambert, and tell him to take an action for libel 

 against me ! I daresay you know that a tenant of yours, 

 named James M'Donagh — commonly called Shamus Bawn 

 — recently got the goodwill of Knocklara, and now holds it 

 in addition to his father's farm, which he came in for last 

 month." Christopher assented. " Jim M'Donagh paid one 

 hundred and eighty pounds fine on getting Knocklara. I 

 ask you to examine your estate account, and you will see 

 that the sum credited to you on that transaction is no more 

 than seventy." 



*' May I ask how you know this ? " Christopher turned 

 his face towards her for a moment as he asked the question, 

 and encountered, with even more aversion than he had ex- 

 pected, her triumphing eyes. 



" I'm not at liberty to tell you. All I say is, go to Jim 

 M'Donagh, and ask him the amount of his fine, and see if 

 he won't tell you just the same sum that I'm telling you 

 now." 



Captain Cursiter, at this moment steering the Serpolette 

 daintily among the shadows of Bruff Bay, saw the two in- 

 congruous figures on the turf quay, one short, black, and 

 powerful, the other tall, white, and passive, and wondered, 

 through the preoccupation of crawling to his anchorage, 

 what it was that Miss Mullen was holding forth to Dysart 

 about, in a voice that came to him across the water like the 

 gruff barking of a dog. He thought, too, that there was an 

 almost ship-wrecked welcome in the shout with which 

 Christopher answered his whistle, and was therefore sur- 

 prised to see him remain where he was, apparently enthralled 

 by Miss Mullen's conversation, instead of walking round to 

 meet him at the boat-house pier. 



Charlotte had, in fact, by this time, compelled Christopher 

 to give her his whole attention. As he turned towards her 

 again, he admitted to himself that the thing looked rather 

 serious, though he determined, with the assistance of a good 

 deal of antagonistic irritability, to keep his opinion to himself. 



