“Pshaw!” he exclaimed emphatically, as he endeavoured to banish these unpleasant reflections from his mind; “it is all right--and I am a fool thus to yield to misgivings. Why should not Tom Rain be the rightful Earl of Ellingham? Things more strange and improbable have occurred in this world. And if he be really the elder brother of the nobleman now bearing the title, why should he not have a son who is the heir to that title and likewise to the estates? Yes--yes: it is all feasible enough! Besides, amongst those papers were the marriage certificate of the late Earl and Octavia Manners--and the baptismal certificate of their child. Well, then--granting that there is a Charles Hatfield,--or, in other words, a Viscount Marston,--what is less extraordinary than that so beautiful a creature as this Miss Fitzhardinge should have captivated the young noble? She is a splendid girl--a very splendid girl! Even in the plain garb which she wore this evening--a sort of disguise, no doubt--she looked truly bewitching. What eyes!--what a profile!--what teeth!--what hair! Ah! I wish that I was a young man now--that I had not these sixty-five winters on my head: I would even yet endeavour to rival Viscount Marston! But, no--no: that were impossible! These young girls are smitten with titles more than with money: and, on my honour, Miss Fitzhardinge will become the rank of Viscountess full well. She has the dignity--the stateliness--and yet the grace and elegance of a woman of fashion! All this, doubtless, must be the work of nature: for where could she have become familiar with the manners and customs of the drawing-room? Ah! was not that a noise?” And the miser, hastily shutting up his cash-box, started to his feet. He listened--but all was still! “A false alarm,” he murmured to himself--and resumed his seat. But the incident had completely disturbed the current of his thoughts which were flowing into a more voluptuous channel than for years and years they had done,--the beauty of Perdita having made a deep impression upon the mind of the miser, and for a few minutes weaned away his attention from the hitherto all-absorbing gold that he worshipped so devotedly. And now that alarm,--whether false or real, we cannot as yet determine,--recalled his errant thoughts to the one engrossing subject: and carefully depositing his cash-box in the safe, he next secured the safe itself. Then, having placed the key in his pocket, he took the candle in his hand, and once more inspected the street-door--the shutters in the front-room--and the bolt of the back-gate.