"Curse Lady Stratton--her will--her policy--everything connected with the old creature," said Gammon to himself, vehemently, as he sat that evening alone, in his chamber, meditating upon this most unexpected turn which the thing had taken; "nothing but vexation, and disappointment, and _danger_, by Heaven!--attends every move I make in her accursed affairs! Was there ever such a check, for instance, as this? Who could have dreamed of it? What may it not lead to?" Here he got up hastily, and walked for some minutes to and fro. "By Heaven, it won't do!--Would to Heaven I had never ventured on the speculation of Titmouse's administering to the old woman!--What could I have been about? And, too, when I knew nothing about the policy! But how can I now retreat? I _must_ go on!" Another pause. "Stay--stay--that won't do either! Oh, no!--not for a moment! But what will they not conclude from our sudden striking? Of course, that we dare not bring Titmouse's pedigree again into the light; and, besides, by relinquishing the administration to Aubrey, shall I not be putting weapons into his hands--in the possession of the funds--against ourselves? Ay, to be sure! So, by ----, here we are in for it, whether we will or not--and no escape!" The latter words he uttered aloud, at the same time snapping his fingers with a desperate air; and continued walking about for a long time in a state of most direful perplexity and alarm. "What _shall_ I do?" said he at length aloud, and then thought within himself--"Move in what direction I may, I am encountered by almost insuperable difficulties! Yet how cautious have I not been!--If I concede the administration to Aubrey, to what motives of conscious weakness will he not refer it? I _must_ act--I dare not hesitate to act--on the solemn finding of a jury, now deliberately acquiesced in for so considerable a time by Aubrey. And I know that the ecclesiastical court won't easily be brought to act against that finding. It will never do to have to fight the question of distribution in the Court of _Chancery_."--Here he threw himself on his sofa, and remained absorbed in thought for some time. Again he rose, and paced his room with folded arms. At length another view of the matter presented itself to him. "Suppose one were to sound Aubrey or Runnington on the subject, and tell them that I have prevailed on Titmouse to withdraw his claim to administer--in consideration of the moral certainty there is that Lady Stratton intended _they_ should have the whole of her property--at all events of the amount of the policy.--Bah! _that_ won't do! They'd never believe us! But who, in Heaven's name, is finding the funds for such a serious contest as this?--Runnington has no doubt got some of Aubrey's friends to come forward and make a last experiment on his behalf. But why take this particular move?" He drew a long breath, and every particle of color fled from his cheek. "Alas! alas! I now see it all.