He was constantly with his father, but
not a word passed his lips as to the property. The elder son kept
himself gloomily apart, and indeed, during a part of the next week was
out of London. Augustus Scarborough did call on Mr. Grey, but only
learned from him that it was, at any rate, true that the story had been
told by his father. Mr. Grey refused to make any farther communication,
simply saying that he would as yet express no opinion.
"For myself," said Augustus, as he left the attorney's chambers, "I can
only profess myself so much astonished as to have no opinion. I suppose
I must simply wait and see what Fortune intends to do with me."
At the end of a fortnight Mr. Scarborough had so far recovered his
strength as to be able to be moved down to Tretton, and thither he went.
It was not many days after that "the world" was first informed that
Captain Scarborough was not his father's heir. "The world" received the
information with a great deal of expressed surprise and inward
satisfaction,--satisfaction that the money-lenders should be done out of
their money; that a professed gambler like Captain Scarborough should
suddenly become an illegitimate nobody; and, more interesting still,
that a very wealthy and well-conditioned, if not actually respectable,
squire should have proved himself to be a most brazen-faced rascal.
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