"Ay, as to him—what is become of him?"
"Nothing extraordinary—don't be alarmed; he put himself under the protection of the court, compounded with his creditors—tenpence in the pound; in six weeks set up again, coaxed back his wife, and is flourishing like a green bay-tree."
"And Crimsworth Hall—was the furniture sold too?"
"Everything—from the grand piano down to the rolling-pin."
"And the contents of the oak dining-room—were they sold?"
"Of course, why should the sofas and chairs of that room be held more sacred than those of any other?"
"And the pictures?"
"What pictures? Crimsworth had no special collection that I know of—he did not profess to be an amateur."
"There were two portraits, one on each side the mantel-piece; you cannot have forgotten them,
