38^ THE MASTER OF THE HOUKDS. 



by the clerk from tlieir own moutlis, duly signed and attested m 

 his presence; and he expressed a hope that the originator of 

 this nefarious plot might be brought to justice. " I must now 

 beg, sir," replied Beanchamp, " for a warrant to apprehend this 

 scoundrel, Mangle, and bring him before you to-morrow," which 

 being granted, and placed in the officer's hands, the party then 

 separated, Beauchamp having told Mrs. Douglas he should call 

 Tipon her the next day. 



From the statement of Mrs. Douglas, it appeared that 

 Mangle first suggested the scheme of altering her marriage cer- 

 tidcate and setting np some young man for her son ; and that 

 she then named her nephew as being exactly of the proper age. 

 The alteration in the date of the year was made by the lav/yer 

 himself in her presence ; and she was warned by that worthy 

 to swear through thick and thin to her story, which she was 

 fully prepared to do. Beauchamp, therefore, thought it prudent, 

 in the absence of other evidence, to make use of this bad woman 

 and her nephew to prove the case against the chief conspirator, 

 Mangle, who held possession of the certificate ; but the fraud 

 being now clearly established by her own voluntary statement, 

 and her nephew disproved, by his own father and mother, to be 

 her son, he had no wish to proceed further, being most anxious 

 to return to the country, although still considering it his duty to 

 bring the greatest rogue of the party to condign punishment. 



Having cautioned Monkton to take care of his son, and pro- 

 mising that young scamp that if he would remain at home and 

 conduct himself steadily, he should be provided with some suit- 

 able employment, Beauchamp returned with Malcolm and Lord 

 Henry to their club, where he wrote a note, with an order on 

 his banker for ten thousand pounds, and handing it to Lord 

 Henry, expressed his thanks for his ready wit in so quickly ex- 

 posing the tricks of their opponents. 



" Come, come, Beauchamp," exclaimed Malcolm, on seeing 

 the amount, " only half this is your share — the other belongs to 

 me." 



"We can settle that another day, Malcolm, as I have no 

 time now to write another draft — so come along, or I must 

 leave you ;'* and, shaking hands with Lord Henry, he put ou 

 his hat and left the room. 



