What have you done with him?"
Carne looked at his excellent uncle as if he had much doubt about his
sanity. "Try to explain yourself, my dear sir. Try to connect your
ideas," he said, "and offer me the benefit another time. My horse is
impatient; he may strike you with his foot."
"If he does, I shall strike him upon the head," Mr. Twemlow replied,
with his heavy stick ready. "It will be better for you to hear me out.
Otherwise I shall procure a search-warrant, and myself examine your
ruins, of which I know every crick and cranny. And your aunt Maria shall
come with me, who knows every stone even better than you do. That would
be a very different thing from an overhauling by Captain Stubbard. I
think we should find a good many barrels and bales that had paid no
duty."
"My dear uncle," cried Carne, with more affection than he ever yet had
shown, "that is no concern of yours; you have no connection with the
Revenue; and I am sure that Aunt Maria would be loth to help in pulling
down the family once more. But do as you please. I am accustomed to
ill fortune. Only I should like to know what this is about poor Cousin
Eliza. If any man has wronged her, leave the case to me. You have no son
now, and the honour of the family shall not suffer in my hands. I will
throw up everything, busy as I am, to make such a rascal bite the dust.
And Eliza so proud, and so upright herself!"
"Caryl," said his uncle, moved more than he liked to show by this
fine feeling, "you know more, I see, than you liked to show at first,
doubtless through goodwill to us.
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