True, he
went to live in poor lodgings, but that was doubtless a personal
eccentricity. An important piece of evidence subsequently
forthcoming was the fact that in sundry newspapers there appeared
advertisements addressed to Joseph James Snowdon, requesting him to
communicate with Messrs. Percival & Peel of Furnival's Inn,
whereupon Mrs. Peckover made inquiries of the legal firm in question
(by means of an anonymous letter), and received a simple assurance
that Mr. Snowdon was being sought for his own advantage.
'You're cool hands, you and your mother,' observed Joseph James,
with a certain involuntary admiration. 'This was not quite three
years ago, you say; just when I was in America. Ha--hum! What I
can't make out is, how the devil that brother of mine came to leave
anything to me. We never did anything but curse each other from the
time we were children to when we parted for good. And so the old man
went out to Australia, did he? That's a rum affair, too; Mike and he
could never get on together. Well, I suppose there's no mistake
about it. I shouldn't much mind if there was, just to see the face
_you'd_ pull, young woman. On the whole, perhaps it's as well for
you that I _am_ fairly good-tempered--eh?'
Clem stood apart, smiling dubiously, now and then eyeing him
askance.
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