"Well, things being so," continued Saville, drawing a chair towards him and sitting down upon it, after he had gazed at me maliciously to see the effect of his words, and had been disappointed--"I think you are a very fit client for me: Edgar has done me more than one shabby trick--I give him up--I do as I am done by--that's my principle--and a very honest one, I maintain; so if you choose to make it worth my while, I'll put you in possession of all I know, and give you my zealous assistance to recover your rights. These fools, here," he said, waving his hand contemptuously to indicate his brother and his sister, "will tell you, perhaps, what a dissipated fellow I am, in this wretched hole of a place--give me excitement, and I don't care a straw how it's come by; I owe Edgar Southcote a hard hit yet--and hang me, but he shall have it, one way or another." This speech awoke me at once out of anger, mortification, every personal feeling; I no longer feared or hated him--I was roused to a cool and keen observation, a self-possession and firmness which I did not know I possessed. I felt the stirring of strength and spirit in me like a new life. I was on the verge of a dangerous secret--a conspiracy--a plot against Edgar! the fool! the fool! to betray his evil counsels to Edgar's wife. My heart beat quicker, my courage rose; I was like one inspired; a little caution, a little prudence, and I might save my husband! How warmly the blood came to my heart. I looked at him eagerly; I did not care to suppress the sparkle of excitement in my eyes: I knew his evil imagination would interpret it very differently from the truth; his evil intent and my own conscious purpose gave me perfect confidence in addressing him, for he had no perception of truth, or love, or honor, and would not suspect what lay beneath my eager willingness to hear him now. "There is some secret, then," said I--"what is it? what are the rights that you will help me to regain? Such a startling speech makes me anxious of course--what do you mean?" "I suppose," said Saville, very slowly to pique my curiosity, "that before you can be expected to put any dependence on me, I must tell you my story: first, let me collect my evidences," and he took a pocket-book from his pocket, and collected several papers out of it with great care and deliberation, now and then glancing at me under his eye-brows to see if I was impatient. I was not impatient--I watched him keenly--coolly--not a movement or a glance escaped my notice; I was Edgar's advocate, and I was watching his enemy.