The Great Impersonation | Page 9

you mean," was the
somewhat grave reply. "As to settling down here, well, that depends a
little upon what you have to tell me."
The lawyer nodded.
"I think," he said, "that you may make yourself quite easy as regards
the matter of Roger Unthank. Nothing has ever been heard of him since

the day you left England."
"His--body has not been found?"
"Nor any trace of it."
There was a brief silence. The lawyer looked hard at Dominey, and
Dominey searchingly back again at the lawyer.
"And Lady Dominey?" the former asked at length.
"Her ladyship's condition is, I believe, unchanged," was the somewhat
guarded reply.
"If the circumstances are favourable," Dominey continued, after
another moment's pause, "I think it very likely that I may decide to
settle down at Dominey Hall."
The lawyer appeared doubtful.
"I am afraid," he said, "you will be very disappointed in the condition
of the estate, Sir Everard. As I have repeatedly told you in our
correspondence, the rent roll, after deducting your settlement upon
Lady Dominey, has at no time reached the interest on the mortgages,
and we have had to make up the difference and send you your
allowance out of the proceeds of the outlying timber."
"That is a pity," Dominey replied, with a frown. "I ought, perhaps, to
have taken you more into my confidence. By the by," he added,
"when-- er--about when did you receive my last letter?"
"Your last letter?" Mr. Mangan repeated. "We have not had the
privilege of hearing from you, Sir Everard, for over four years. The
only intimation we had that our payments had reached you was the
exceedingly prompt debit of the South African bank."
"I have certainly been to blame," this unexpected visitor confessed. "On
the other hand, I have been very much absorbed. If you haven't
happened to hear any South African gossip lately, Mangan, I suppose it

will be a surprise to you to hear that I have been making a good deal of
money."
"Making money?" the lawyer gasped. "You making money, Sir
Everard?"
"I thought you'd be surprised," Dominey observed coolly. "However,
that's neither here nor there. The business object of my visit to you this
morning is to ask you to make arrangements as quickly as possible for
paying off the mortgages on the Dominey estates."
Mr. Mangan was a lawyer of the new-fashioned school,--Harrow and
Cambridge, the Bath Club, racquets and fives, rather than gold and
lawn tennis. Instead of saying "God bless my soul!" he exclaimed
"Great Scott!" dropped a very modern-looking eyeglass from his left
eye, and leaned back in his chair with his hands in his pockets.
"I have had three or four years of good luck," his client continued. "I
have made money in gold mines, in diamond mines and in land. I am
afraid that if I had stayed out another year, I should have descended
altogether to the commonplace and come back a millionaire."
"My heartiest congratulations!" Mr. Mangan found breath to murmur.
"You'll forgive my being so astonished, but you are the first Dominey I
ever knew who has ever made a penny of money in any sort of way,
and from what I remember of you in England--I'm sure you'll forgive
my being so frank--I should never have expected you to have even
attempted such a thing."
Dominey smiled good-humouredly.
"Well," he said, "if you inquire at the United Bank of Africa, you will
find that I have a credit balance there of something over a hundred
thousand pounds. Then I have also--well, let us say a trifle more,
invested in first-class mines. Do me the favour of lunching with me, Mr.
Mangan, and although Africa will never be a favourite topic of
conversation with me, I will tell you about some of my speculations."

The solicitor groped around for his hat.
"I will send the boy for a taxi," he faltered.
"I have a car outside," this astonishing client told him. "Before we
leave, could you instruct your clerk to have a list of the Dominey
mortgages made out, with the terminable dates and redemption
values?"
"I will leave instructions," Mr. Mangan promised. "I think that the total
amount is under eighty thousand pounds."
Dominey sauntered through the office, an object of much interest to the
little staff of clerks. The lawyer joined him on the pavement in a few
minutes.
"Where shall we lunch?" Dominey asked. "I'm afraid my clubs are a
little out of date. I am staying at the Carlton."
"The Carlton grill room is quite excellent," Mr. Mangan suggested.
"They are keeping me a table until half-past one," Dominey replied.
"We will lunch there, by all means."
They drove off together, the returned traveller gazing all the time out of
the window into the crowded