Leonard Dagle was Jack's old chum; friends he had in plenty--dangerous friends many of them--but Leonard was his brother and companion in arms. They had shared the same rooms, the same tankard of bitter, sometimes the same crust, for years.
There was not a secret between them. Either would have given the other his last penny and felt grateful for the acceptance of it. It was a singular friendship, for no two men could be more unlike than Leonard Dagle, the hard-working barrister, and Jack Newcombe, the spendthrift, the ne'er-do-well, and--the Savage.
"Is that you, Jack?" exclaimed Leonard, straightening his back. "Home already?"
"Tired--bored--humbled--thoroughly used up! I've got news for you, Len."
"Bad as they can be. First the squire's dead!"
"I am very sorry. Then you--then you--am I addressing the Squire of Hurst Leigh?"
"You are addressing the pauper of Spider Court."
"I mean that the poor old fellow has died and left me nothing--not even a mourning-ring."
"I'm very sorry. Left you nothing, my dear old man!"
"Don't pity me. I can't stand that. Say serves you right, say anything. After all, what did I deserve?"
"But you expected something," said Leonard.
"Yes, and no. I expected nothing till I got there, and then did. I saw him for a few minutes before he died, and he said--certainly said--that I--well, that there would be something for me."
"Not a stiver. Mind I don't complain, Len. I didn't deserve it."
"Where has it all gone? He was a rich man, was he not?" asked Leonard.
"Rich as a Croesus," replied Jack, "and it has all gone to Stephen Davenant."
"That is the man that goes in for philanthropy and all that sort of thing."
"Tell me all about it," said Leonard, after a long pause.
And, with many pauses, Jack told his story.
"It's a strange story, Jack," he said. "I--I--it rather puzzles me. There could be--of course, there could be nothing wrong."
"Wrong, how do you mean?" exclaimed Jack.
"Well, Stephen Davenant's conduct is rather peculiar--isn't it?"
"Oh, he's half out of his mind," said Jack, carelessly. "He has been playing a close game for the money, and hanging about the old man till he has got as hysterical as a girl. What do you think could be wrong? Everything was as correct as it could be--family lawyer, who made out the will, and all the rest of it."