"Oh, altogether!" "Well, what's the trouble?" "Oh, this infernal Russell, the guardian, you know! As soon as he came on, he and his wife began to make trouble, and tried to break up the engagement; they also tried to keep me away from the house. Then there was another difficulty: they allowed some Spanish blackguards to get acquainted with them. Mrs. Westlotorn, the widow, you know, is hot-and-heavy in the chase of a husband, and thought that all the young fellows who came after Katie were after her. The worst of them was a chap named Lopez, who calls himself a captain in the Spanish army--a poor, pitiful beggar whom I shall have to horsewhip. And, by-the-bye, that reminds me--I expect to be called out to-morrow or next day." "Called out? how?" "Oh, by this pitiful fellow Lopez;" and Ashby related the incident at the Madrid station. "By Jove!" said Harry, "this is lucky. I'm glad I came upon you at such a time. You won't have to trust to a bungling Spaniard to be your second." "The worst of it is," said Ashby, "I believe that this Russell is one of the most infernal villains that ever lived, and that he is concocting some scheme against Katie." "A scheme! how?" "Well, I'll tell you. I saw from the first that he was hostile to me. Possibly this may have been my own fault, for I saw the fellow was a beastly cad, not at all fit to be Katie's guardian. Why, he's a tailor! think of that--a tailor! that's all he is. By Jove! only think--a tailor! and Katie's guardian! Do you suppose I was going to stand any nonsense from a tailor?" "By Jove! no--not unless you're deep in his books," said Harry; "and even then, when you're away from home you ought to be a free man. So you rather slighted the guardian, did you?" "Well, I told him to go to the devil; and the fellow took offence, you know." "H'm--odd, too," said Harry. "Why should he take offence at such a simple remark?" "Don't know, I'm sure," said Ashby; "but there it is, you see. However, that makes no difference. I've defied him and threatened him." "Threatened! Why?" "Why, because the infernal scoundrel is deep in some plan to get hold of Katie's money." "Katie's money? Oh, she has money, then?" "Of course--about thirty or forty thousand pounds. Most of this, I believe, is in Spanish bonds, in which Westlotorn was foolish enough to invest." "Not very good just now, hey?"