338 THE MASTER OP THE HOUNDS. 



contempt at the nervous twitchings about his opponent's mouth, 

 betraying unmistakable signs of terror. 



" Well, sir," exclaimed Mrs. Harcourt, unable any longer to 

 contain her indignation at her husband's pusillanimity, " and if 

 he is Mr. Harcourt, what is your business with him 1 that I 

 will thank you to explain as concisely as possible, sir." 



"jMr. Harcourt is Miss Douglas's guardian, madam, I 

 believe." 



'•' Well, sir, what next ? " 



"Miss Douglas's father had an only brother, Archibald 

 Douglas, who went out to India, and died there some years ago." 



" Well, sir, that is no news to us." 



" "Very likely, madam ; but I suppose it is news to you that 

 he left an only son, who has just arrived in this country ?" 



" And is an illegitimate child, Mr. Mangle, which perhaps 

 may be news to you, as Mr. Archibald Douglas was not legally 

 married to the mother of his children until after the birth of 

 his last child, which was a daughter — in short, sir, he never had 

 a son." 



" On that point, madam, I must beg to differ with you, as 

 we have evidence to prove his marriage before the birth of his 

 last child, and that child, madam, is Mr. Archibald Douglas, by 

 whom we are instructed to take proceedings for the recovery of 

 that property, to which, as male heir under the entail, he is 

 most certainly entitled." 



" Even were there such a person in existence, as you repre- 

 sent this gentleman to be," replied Mr. Harcourt, now gaining 

 courage, " the property was entailed both in the male and 

 female line to the descendants of the elder branch of the family, 

 and therefore my niece is undoubtedly heiress at law, as the 

 only child of Mr. Cameron Douglas." 



"I think, sir, we shall be able to show that the deed of 

 entail was not properly registered according to Scotch law, 

 and is therefore invalid. But my present object, sir, in call- 

 ing upon you, is to state that we have directed our agent in 

 Jbotland to serve notices on the tenants of the property, not 

 to pay any more rents to yourself or any person on behalf 

 of Miss Douglas ; but as our client does not wish to j)ress 

 heavily on his cousin, I am further instructed to say, that 

 if, on producing the evidence requisite to establish his claim, 

 immediate possession of the estates is surrendered, he will 

 forego his right to the reimbursement of the rents and profits 

 received by you for her use since her father's decease." 



