“The man who calls himself your rector!” the earl growled. “He is no more a rector than I am, and pretty fools you were to be taken in by him!”
“Now that is odd!” the lawyer answered. He spoke absently, his eyes resting on the peer’s face as if his thoughts were far away.
“Odd or not,” Lord Dynmore replied, stamping on the floor with undiminished irritation, “it is the fact, sir! And now if you will listen to me I will tell you what I want you to do.”
The lawyer bowed slightly again, and the earl proceeded to tell his tale. Passing lightly over his own forgetfulness and negligence, he laid stress on all the facts which seemed to show that Lindo could not have accepted the living in good faith. He certainly made out a plausible case, but his animus in telling it was so apparent that, when he had finished and wound up by announcing his firm resolve to eject the young man from his cure, Mr. Bonamy only shook his head with a doubtful smile. “You will have to prove guilty knowledge on his part, my lord,” he said gravely.
“So I will!” quoth the earl roundly.
Mr. Bonamy seemed for a moment inclined to shake his head again, but he thought better of it. “Well, you may be right, my lord,” he answered. “At any rate—without going further into the matter at this moment, or considering what course your lordship, could or should adopt—I think I can do one thing. I can lay some information on this point before you at once.”
“What! To show that he knew?” cried the earl eagerly.
“Yes, I think so. But as to its weight——”
“What is it? What is it? Let me hear it!” was the impatient interruption. The earl was on his feet in a moment. “Why, gadzooks, we may have him in a corner before the day is out, Mr. Bonamy,” he continued. “True? I will be bound it is true!”
Mr. Bonamy looked as if he very much doubted that, but he offered no further opposition. Begging Lord Dynmore—who could not look upon him with sufficient admiration, so much was he struck with this strange preparedness—to excuse him for a moment, he left the room. He returned almost immediately, however, followed by a man whom the earl at once recognized, and recognized with the utmost astonishment. “Why, you confounded rascal!” he gasped. “What are you doing here?”