“Bah!” cried Nathan Gomer to Lotte. “Your eighteen-pence a day, for eighteen hours at cap-front making”-- “Two shillings sometimes!” she interposed, boastfully. “Two shillings always, if you will,” continued Nathan, “gives you no margin for doing anything but starving and slaving, if you pay your way--and you, my friend” he added, turning to Charley, “if you have made up your mind to achieve to the bar, have not a farthing to waste upon even the luxury of seeing your sister destroy herself, in an attempt to accomplish a feat which is not only impracticable, but impossible. No, no; go on as you have been going on, and let us see what time will bring forth.” He paused, and then after running his eye over the warrant, he addressed Flora, saying--“Miss Wilton, I place this warrant in your keeping--impressing upon you that you must always have it in your possession in safe custody, except when you leave home for a short time, then you must entrust it to some friend who will hold it here until your return. So long as you do this, no person like Jukes can disturb or remove your furniture. You will keep it until you see me again, or until you hear from me. I am a stranger to you, not prepossessing in my appearance, but I am not quite so hard-hearted as I have been represented to be, nor quite so selfish in my nature as you may hereafter be led to believe. Now mark what I say. You have been left in a position of great trust in the midst of a heavy calamity; much will be demanded of your energy and self reliance; remember ‘God helps those who help themselves’, therefore, while you are grateful for, place no reliance in, promises. Farewell!--we shall meet again. May it be when you will not need my assistance!” With a wave of the hand, he hurried out of the room, closely followed by Mr. Graba, leaving Flora, no less than Lotte, in a state of bewildered astonishment. Neither of the girls had seen Nathan Gomer before, and his sudden appearance, together with the power he had assumed, and the kindness, which in a cold abrupt manner he had displayed, completely astounded them; they knew not what to make of it, nor, so far as Lotte was concerned, how to talk enough about it. But though she talked briskly, she acted smartly, and rousing Flora into action, proceeded to “put things straight,” and to render the aspect of the place pretty much what it had been before Mr. Jukes made his most unwelcome appearance. Leaving her and Flora to the task to which they had devoted themselves, let us follow the movements of Nathan Gomer. He stood alone at the door of Mr. Grahame in the Regent’s Park, very shortly after he had quitted Wilton’s residence, and he sent in his card, in a rather peremptory manner, by the same individual who had announced Mr. Chewkle. He took no heed of the representations made to him that-- “Mr. Grahame were engaged, and when he were engaged, his instructions was that no person should be admitted to interrupt him.”