now, sir, coal's been discovered under it, and—ah!"
Mr. Patello opened out his hands as if to indicate heaps of gold. Wedgwood made a show of interest.
"Indeed, Mr. Patello?" he said. "Mineral wealth, eh—beneath the surface. And as the old gentleman you mentioned died without a will———"
"That property, sir, passed to his eldest son, Matthew, and if this girl you speak of is Matthew's only child, it's hers, hers—the daughter of my sister Louisa, and my niece! I must see into it, sir! I know what I'm talking about, for before I went into the sugar-broking I was a solicitor's clerk and I know the law! If what you say is true the rightful owner of Mortover is not the lad Philip, but his cousin Louisa Patello's daughter. I'm obliged to you, sir, for coming to see me, and you'll oblige me further by keeping me informed. That girl, sir, must be found!"
Wedgwood promised Mr. Patello that he would keep him fully posted up in the affair of Avice Mortover, and after a few more words on the matter, went away. He was convinced of Mr. Patello's transparency and ingenuousness—but Mrs. Patello was still an object of possible suspicion. And chancing across a
