His rather rotund but misshapen figure was wedged deep in a black leathern easychair at an ink-spotted desk, whereon lay piles of battered and greasy-looking ledgers and day-books. His bald head was sunk between his heavily-rounded shoulders; he had large, coarse ears, a nose like an inverted pear, pendulous cheeks, to which straggling grey whiskers were attached, and he had cunning little eyes that twinkled in deep and cavernous sockets. Altogether Mr. Solomon Slagg was not a pleasant person to look upon, but his face, such as it was, lighted up when he saw his visitor, to whom he bowed low, without rising, and to whom he indicated a chair by a wave of his pen, with which he made a mark or sum total on a page, and, closing a small ledger, turned to Lord Cadbury. 'Stifling den this of yours,' grumbled the latter, as he lighted a cigar; 'no objections to smoking, I suppose?' 'None, my lord.' 'A vile day of fog--utter black fog. Had the devil's own trouble in making you out on foot from Moorgate Street Station; but, you got my letter, of course?' 'Yes, my lord.' 'And acted upon it?' 'Yes, my lord,' said Slagg, slowly, 'I was just about to write----' 'That you had got up all Cheyne's blue paper.' 'Yes, in obedience to your directions, I took up all the acceptances I could trace, and, as he has been more than once in the Black List, I wonder that he has been able to draw bills without some one to back them. There is some of his paper,' added Slagg, pointing to some very crumpled-looking slips. 'Renewed more than once apparently.' 'Oh! yes--again and again, in some instances.' 'Poor old devil!' said my Lord Cadbury, with reference to his prospective father-in-law; 'what is the "demmed total," as Mr. Mantilini would say?' 'About a couple of thousand.' Cadbury smiled--the sum was a trifle to him; but its demand meant utter ruin to the impecunious Sir Ranald, who could no more meet his acceptances than fly. 'My pretty Alison will find that at Chilcote she has been living in a kind of fool's paradise,' thought he, as he tugged his long white moustache with very great complacency. 'You will put all the pressure you can upon Sir Ranald when these bills fall due--no more renewals at any risk; at the same time it must all appear as your affair, not mine--my name must not appear in the matter.' 'Of course not, my lord; if it did----' 'Don't even think of it, for in that case it would prove my ruin in a quarter where I wish to be well thought of.' 'Sir Ranald Cheyne seems to have been anticipating his income.' 'Till, I suppose, there is nothing more to anticipate.' 'Exactly.' 'Good--good!' exclaimed Cadbury, as he struck his gloved hands together; 'then you'll put the screw on him the moment you can do so.'