 Tiffey, laying his hand upon my arm, and
shutting up both his eyes as he shook his head: »if you had been in the Commons
as long as I have, you would know that there is no subject on which men are so
inconsistent, and so little to be trusted.«
    »Why, bless my soul, he made that very remark!« I replied persistently.
    »I should call that almost final,« observed Tiffey. »My opinion is - no
will.«
    It appeared a wonderful thing to me, but it turned out that there was no
will. He had never so much as thought of making one, so far as his papers
afforded any evidence; for there was no kind of hint, sketch, or memorandum, of
any testamentary intention whatever. What was scarcely less astonishing to me
was, that his affairs were in a most disordered state. It was extremely
difficult, I heard, to make out what he owed, or what he had paid, or of what he
died possessed. It was considered likely that for years he could have had no
clear opinion on these subjects himself. By little and little it came out, that,
in the competition on all points of appearance and gentility then running high
in the Commons, he had spent more than his professional income, which was not a
very large one, and had reduced his private means, if they ever had been great
(which was exceedingly doubtful), to a very low ebb indeed. There was a sale of
the furniture and lease, at Norwood; and Tiffey told me, little thinking how
interested I was in the story, that, paying all the just debts of the deceased,
and deducting his share of outstanding bad and doubtful debts due to the firm,
he wouldn't give a thousand pounds for all the assets remaining.
    This was at the expiration of about six weeks. I had suffered tortures all
the time, and thought I really must have laid violent hands upon myself, when
Miss Mills still reported to me, that my broken-hearted little Dora would say
nothing, when I was mentioned, but »Oh, poor papa! Oh, dear papa!« Also, that
she had no other relations than two aunts, maiden sisters of Mr. Spenlow, who
lived at Putney, and who had not held any other than chance communication with
their brother for many years. Not that they had ever quarrelled (Miss Mills
informed me); but that having been, on the occasion of Dora's christening,
invited to tea, when they
