"I see, Mr. Hawkins, what you are going to try to do—you want to put me in a hole."
"I do, Mr. Nethercliffe; and if you are ready for the hole, tell me—were those six pieces of paper written by one hand at about the same time?"
He examined them carefully, and after a considerable time answered:
"No; they were written at different times and by different hands!"
"By different persons, do you say?"
"Yes, certainly!"
"Now, Mr. Nethercliffe, you are in the hole! I wrote them myself this morning at this desk."
He was a good deal disconcerted, not to say very angry, and I then began to ask him about his son.
"You educated your son to your own profession, I believe, Mr.
Nethercliffe?"
"I did, sir; I hope there was no harm in that, Mr. Hawkins."
"Not in the least; it is a lucrative profession. Was he a diligent student?"