"Now, why do you want to know all this ?" he asked, in a suspicious voice, coming back from his dragons.

"It is irregular, very, to worm information out of an innocent barrister in his hours of ease about a former client.

We are a guileless race, we lawyers; don't abuse our confidence." He seemed an honest man, I thought, in spite of his mocking tone.

I trusted him, and made a clean breast of it.

"I believe," I answered, with an impressive little pause, "I want to marry Yorke-Bannerman's daughter." He gave a quick start.