E-text prepared by Robert Cicconetti, Sue Fleming, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (http://archive.org) Note: Images of the original pages are available through Internet Archive. See http://archive.org/details/mortomleysestate03ridd Project Gutenberg has the other two volumes of this work. Volume I: see https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39611 Volume II: see https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/39552 MORTOMLEY'S ESTATE. A Novel. BY MRS. RIDDELL, AUTHOR OF "GEORGE GEITH," "TOO MUCH ALONE," "HOME, SWEET HOME," "THE EARL'S PROMISE," ETC. ETC. _IN THREE VOLUMES._ VOL. III. LONDON: TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8 CATHERINE STREET STRAND 1874. _All rights of Translation and Reproduction are Reserved._ PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND CO., LITTLE QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS. TO Emma Martin, OF WADESMILL, HERTS, THIS STORY IS DEDICATED AS A TOKEN OF THE AUTHOR'S RESPECT AND AFFECTION. CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. THE MEETING OF CREDITORS 1 II. ONE FRIEND MOST FAITHFUL 29 III. WHAT MR. LANG THOUGHT 58 IV. MORTOMLEY'S BLUE 86 V. MR. SWANLAND'S CRUMPLED ROSE-LEAF 107 VI. SAUVE QUI PEUT 126 VII. MORTOMLEY UNDERSTANDS AT LAST 142 VIII. MR. WERNER ASKS A FAVOUR 165 IX. THE NEW YELLOW 187 X. A BROKEN REED 203 XI. TWO UNWELCOME VISITORS 231 XII. MRS. MORTOMLEY BREAKS THE NEWS 256 XIII. SAD CONFIDENCES 270 XIV. WHAT RUPERT HAD DONE 285 XV. MR. ASHERILL IS PERSUADED 298 XVI. CONCLUSION 324 MORTOMLEY'S ESTATE. CHAPTER I. THE MEETING OF CREDITORS. If any person ever questioned the wisdom of Mr. Asherill in taking for his partner that perfect gentleman Mr. Swanland, his doubts must have been dispelled had he chanced to be present at the meeting of creditors--_re_ Archibald Mortomley.