WEALTH WITHOUT WINGS. 105

 

fections; and, what to them appeared strange—it
might only have been imagination—manifested a
more clinging tenderness, as if conscious of the
real truth.

Weeks elapsed and nothing further was heard
from Jasper. Claire and his wife began to hope
that he would make no attempt to separate Fanny
from them; at least not until her twelfth year.
Let us turn to him, and see what he is doing, or
proposing to do, in the case.

Two or three days subsequent to the time when
Claire received the notification from Jasper, just re-
ferred to, two men sat, in close conference, in the
office of an attorney noted for his legal intelligence,
but more noted for his entire want of principle.
For a good fee, he would undertake any case, and
gain for his client, if possible, no matter how great
the wrong that was done. His name was Grind.
The two men here introduced, were this lawyer and
Jasper.

“Do you really think,” said the latter, “that, in
the face of my guardianship, he can retain posses-
sion of the child 2”

“He has, you say, a copy of this contract ?”
Grind held a sheet of paper in his hand.

“Yes. To think that I was such a fool as to
bind myself in this way! But I did not dream, for
a moment, that things were going to turn up as
they have.”

“Tt is a contract that binds you both,” said the
lawyer, “and I do not see that you can go round