"Yes," Clarence replied, with emphasis on the words, "everything that money can do, but even money cannot always buy peace of mind." He said no more, for at that moment his father took out his watch and consulted it with a business-like air. "Miss Fitzmaurice will excuse us, I am sure," he said, "if we discuss practical matters in her presence." I half rose from my seat. "Shall I leave you?" I said; but this they at once both negatived. "On the contrary," said Clarence. "We shall be very much indebted to you if you will stay while we settle what is best to be done." "And I should very much like to hear it," I said, seating myself again. "The first thing, it seems to me," the younger man continued, "is for one of us to go down to Liverpool, and at once to see Mr Fitzmaurice-- your father, of course, I mean. Shall I do so, father?" Mr Payne considered. "You, I think, Clarence," he said after a moment, "can do as well as, or better than I. Can you get off this afternoon?" "Certainly," answered his son. "I can reach Liverpool a little before midnight I think, and if in the meantime you, Miss Fitzmaurice, will write to your father, it will help on matters greatly. Please say I will go to the same hotel that he is at, so that I shall be ready for a talk with him as early as he likes to-morrow morning. And if," now addressing Mr Payne, "I find, as I quite expect, that things are already satisfactorily in train--" He glanced at me as he spoke, and I replied to the tacit inquiry. "Yes," I said, "I am sure you will find them so. My father is not one to let the grass grow under his feet in a case like this; he is too Irish!" and I smiled. "Very likely you will find that he has had the deposition--is that the word?--formally taken, and that what will fall to your share more directly will be deciding how to act towards the other side." "I," said Mr Payne, "will hold myself in readiness to go down to Millflowers at a moment's notice from you, Clarence. Perhaps it would be best for us to meet there?" "Just what I was going to say," replied his son. "Poor Caryll, it is to be hoped, is not in quite such a critical state as--as the new actor in the scene, but still I own to feeling desperately anxious, most unprofessionally excited," and he smiled, "to see the thing through for the `Grim House' people!" "Is that what you call the place?" said his father. "Humph! Not a bad idea!" "It did not originate with me," said Clarence. "And certainly not with me," I said half-laughingly. "It seems to have been the local name of the place for ever so long."