Dolly laughed, and held out her hand. What a bit of a hand it was! Mr. Lang took it in his as he might have taken a fragile piece of china, and appeared excessively uncomfortable now he had got what he desired. "There is one thing more I would wish to say, ma'am," he remarked, when, this ceremony concluded, an awkward pause seemed impending. "Why do you not say it then?" asked Mrs. Mortomley. "Because I am afraid of offending. But I may just observe that I hope you won't think of making Mr. Rupert one of our firm." "Mr. Rupert!" she repeated in surprise. "He has done with business for ever. He would never wish to be connected with it again." "But if he did, ma'am?" "I should not wish it," Mrs. Mortomley answered. Then added, "I would not have Mr. Rupert in any business in which I had any interest. I am certain he would do his best to serve me or his uncle, but I do not think he has any especial genius for colour making." "They do say at Swanland's," observed Mr. Lang, coughing apologetically, "that there is a great talk of Mr. Rupert going into business with Mr. Brett. They do say there Mr. Rupert knows all Mr. Mortomley's processes; and if so be as how such is the case, Mr. Brett and he will make a good thing of it." Dolly sat silent for a minute; then she asked, "Did Mr. Rupert know anything of the business when we were at Homewood, Lang?" "No, that I will take my oath he did not," was the prompt reply. "Then by what means could he have learned anything of it since?" "That is best known to himself, ma'am. If he found anything at Homewood, and kept it--" "He could not, Lang. My husband was always most careful about his papers." "Or if he has been able to pump Mr. Mortomley since you left Homewood." "That is not likely either," said Dolly, and yet as she spoke she remembered that not five minutes before Susan came to tell her Lang was below, her husband had thrust a piece of paper over to Rupert, saying, "There is something out of which money might be made, though I shall never make it," and like a simpleton she had attached little importance to the utterance, until Lang's words revealed its significance to her. "Suppose we leave Mr. Rupert out of the question altogether," she suggested. "Well, ma'am, I don't see how that can well be, if Mr. Rupert is to get the information we want and use it against us," Lang replied. "He shall not," was the reply. "He may have caught a hint or two, but he shall catch no more. If he and Mr. Brett go into partnership, it shall not be with Mr. Mortomley's inventions." "Are you sure, ma'am?" "Perfectly sure. Mr. Mortomley is not in a state of health to detail the methods he has employed to any one. I do not mean to say Mr. Rupert may not have got some information, but I do say he would require as much more to make it available, and I will take care he has no chance of obtaining any more."