except under certain circumstances. She knew that those circumstances would never come to pass; but yet neither would she go there. She would never go there till her cousin was married. Then, if in those days she should ever be present at Belton Castle, she would creep up to the spot all alone, and allow herself to think of the old days. so, will it not be well that you should come to me for a short time? "Both William and I feel that just for the present, for a little time, you would perhaps prefer to be alone with me. He must go to Londen for a while, and then on to Belton, to settle your affairs and his. He intends to be absent for six weeks. If you would not be afraid of the dulness of this On the following morning there came to house for so long a time, pray come to us. her a letter bearing the Downham post- The pleasure to me would be very great, mark, but at the first glance she knew and I hope that you have some of that feeling, that it was not from her cousin Will. Will which with me is so strong, that we ought wrote with a bold round hand, that was ex- not to be any longer personally strangers to tremely plain and caligraphic when he al- each other. You could then make up your lowed himself time for the work in hand, mind as to what you would choose to do as he did with the commencement of his afterwards. I think that by the end of that epistles, but which would become confused time,—that is, when William returns,- my and altogether anti-caligraphic when he uncle and aunt from Sleaford will be with fell into a hurry towards the end of his us. He is a clergyman, you know; and if performance, -as was his wont. But the you then like to remain, they will be deaddress of this letter was written in a pret-lighted to make your acquaintance. ty, small, female hand, - very careful in the perfection of every letter, and very neat in every stroke. It was from Marv Belton, between whom and Clara there had never hitherto been occasion for correspondence. The letter was as follows: "Plaistow Hall, April, 186-. "MY DEAR COUSIN CLARA, "It seems to be a long journey for a young lady to make alone, from Belton to Plaistow; but travelling is so easy now-adays, and young ladies seem to be so independent that you may be able to manage it. Hoping to see you soon, I remain Your affectionate Cousin, "MARY BElton." This letter she received before breakfast, and was therefore able to read it in solitude, and to keep its receipt from the knowledge of Mrs. Askerton, if she should be so minded. She understood at once all that it in "William has heard from your friends at Belton, who are tenants on the estate, and as to whom there seems to be some question whether they are to remain. He has written, saying, I believe, that there tended to convey, - a hint that Plaistow need be no difficulty if they wish to stay Hall would be a better resting-place for her there. But we learn, also, from Mrs. Ask- than Mrs. Askerton's cottage; and an assurerton's letter, that you are expected at the ance that if she would go to Plaistow Hall cottage, and therefore I will address this for her convenience, no advantage should to Belton, supposing that it may find you be taken of her presence there by the there. owner of the house for his convenience. As she sat thinking of the offer which had been made to her she fancied that she could see and hear her cousin Will as he discussed the matter with his sister, and with a half assumption of surliness declared his own intention of going away. Captain Aylmer after that interview in London had spoken of Belton's conduct as being unpardonable; but Clara had not only pardoned him, but had, in her own mind, pronounced his virtues to be so much greater than his vices as to make him almost perfect. "But I will not drive him out of his own house," she said. "What does it matter where I go?" "You and I have never yet known each other-which has been a grief to me; but this grief, I hope, may be cured some day before long. I myself, as you know, am such a poor creature that I cannot go about the world to see my friends as other people do; at least, not very well; and therefore I write to you with the object of asking you to come and see me here. This is an interesting old house in its way; and though I must not conceal from you that life here is very, very quiet, I would do my best to make the days pass pleasantly with you. I had heard that you were gone to Aylmer Park. Indeed, William told me of his taking you up to London. Now it seems you have left Yorkshire, and I suppose you will not return there very soon. If it be "Colonel Askerton has had a letter from your cousin," said Mrs. Askerton as soon as the two ladies were alone together. "I was sure of it. I knew he would never have written in that way, in answer to my letter, ignoring your visit here altogether, unless he had written to you also." "But he has not written to me. My letter is from his sister. There it is." Whereupon she handed the letter to Mrs. Askerton, and waited patiently while it was being read. Her friend returned it to her without a word, and Clara was the first to speak again. "It is a nice letter, is it not? I never saw her you know." "So she says." "But is it not a kind letter? " I suppose it is meant for kindness. It is not very complimentary to me. It presumes that such a one as I may be treated without the slightest consideration. And so I may. It is only fit that I should be so treated. If you ask my advice, I advise you to go at once; at once." "But I have not asked your advice, dear; nor do I intend to ask it.' "You, would not have shown it me if had not intended to go." you "How unreasonable you are! You told me just now that I was a hypocrite, for not telling you of my letter, and now you are angry with me because I have shown it you." "I am not angry. I think you have been quite right to show it me. I don't know how else you could have acted upon it." "But I do not mean to act upon it. I shall not go to Plaistow. There are two reasons against it, each sufficient. I shall not leave you quite yet, unless you send me away; and I shall not cause my cousin to be turned out of his own house." "I thought I had invited myself." "No; I asked you to come, and when I asked you I knew that I was wrong. Though I meant to be kind, I knew that I was unkind. I saw that my husband disapproved it, though he had not the heart to tell me so. I wish he had. I wish he had." "Mrs. Askerton, I cannot tell you how much you wrong yourself, and how you wrong me also. I am more than contented to be here." "But you should not be contented to be here. It is just that. In learning to love me, or rather, perhaps, to pity me, you lower yourself. Do you think that I do not see it all, and know it all? Of course it is. bad to be alone, but I have no right not to be alone." There was nothing for Clara to do but to draw herself once again close to the poor woman, and to embrace her with protestations of fair, honest, equal regard and friendship. "Do you think I do not understand that letter? continued Mrs. Askerton. "If it had come from Lady Aylmer I could have laughed at it, because I believe Lady Aylmer to be an overbearing virago, whom it is good to put down in every way possible. But this comes from a pure-minded woman, one whom I believe to be little given to harsh judgments on her fellow-sinners; and she tells you in her calm wise way that it is bad for you to be here with me.' "She says nothing of the kind." "But does she not mean it? Tell me honestly; - do you not know that she means it?" "I am not to be guided by what she means." 66 66 But you are to be guided by what her brother means. It is to come to that, and you may as well bend your neck at once. It is to come to that, and the sooner the better for you. It is easy to see that you are badly off for guidance when you take up me as your friend." When she had so spoken Mrs. Askerton got up and went to the door. No, Clara, do not come with me; not now," she said, turning to her companion, who had risen as though to follow her. "I will come to you soon, but I would rather be alone now. And, look here, dear; you must answer your cousin's letter. Do so at once, and say that you will go to Plaistow. In any event it will be better for you." Clara, when she was alone, did answer her cousin's letter, but she did not accept the invitation that had been given her.. She assured Miss Belton that she was most In such a matter as this a lady in your position can only be guided by her natural advisers, her father's lawyer and other family friends." "I don't know why a young lady should be in any way different from an old gentleman." "But an old gentleman would not hesitate under such circumstances. The entail in itself was a cruelty, and the operation of it on your poor brother's death was additionally cruel." anxious to know her, and hoped that she said. Though he may be able to make it might do so before long either at Plaistow over to me, I can give it back again.” or at Belton; but that at present she was 66 I think not. under an engagement to stay with her friend Mrs. Askerton. In an hour or two Mrs. Askerton returned, and Clara handed to her the note to read. "Then all I can say is you are very silly, and don't know on which side your bread is buttered." It was evident from Mrs. Askerton's voice that she had recovered her mood and tone of mind. "I don't suppose it will much signify, as it will all come right at last," she said afterwards. And then, after luncheon, when she had been for a few minutes with her husband in his own room, she told Clara that the Colonel wanted to speak to her. "You'll find him as grave as a judge, for he has got something to say to you in earnest. Nobody can be so stern as he is when he chooses to put on his wig and gown." So Clara went into the Colonel's study, and seated herself in a chair which he had prepared for her. She remained there for over an hour, and during the hour the conversation became very animated. Colonel Askerton's assumed gravity had given way to ordinary eagerness, during which he had walked about the room in the vehemence of his argument; and Clara, in answering him, had also put forth all her strength. She had expected that he also was going to speak to her on the propriety of her going to Norfolk; but he made no allusion to that subject, although all that he did say was founded on Will Belton's letter to himself. Belton, in speaking of the cottage, had told Colonel Askerton that Miss Amedroz would be his future landlord, and had then gone on to explain that it was his, Belton's, intention to destroy the entail, and allow the property to descend from the father to the daughter. "As Miss Amedroz is with you now," he said, "may I beg you to take the trouble to explain the matter to her at length, and to make her understand that the estate is now, at this moment in fact, her own. Her possession of it does not depend on any act of hers, or, indeed, upon her own will or wish in the matter.' On this subject Colonel Askerton had argued, using all his skill to make Clara in truth perceive that she was her father's heiress, through the generosity undoubtedly of her cousin, - and that she had no alternative but to assume the possession which was thus thrust upon her. And so eloquent was the Colonel that Clara was staggered, though she was not Convinced. "It is quite impossible," she "It is cruel that any one should be poor," argued Clara; "but that does not take away the right of a rich man to his property." There was much more of this sort said between them, till Clara was at any rate convinced that Colonel Askerton believed that she ought to be the owner of the property. And then at last he ventured upon another argument which soon drove Clara out of the room. "There is, I believe, one way in which it can all be made right,” said he. "What way ? said Clara, forgetting in her eagerness the obviousness of the mode which her companion was about to point out. 66 "Of course, I know nothing of this myself," he said smiling; but Mary thinks that you and your cousin might arrange it between you if you were together." "You must not listen to what she says about that, Colonel Askerton." "Must I not? Well; I will not listen to more than I can help; but Mary, as you know, is a persistent talker. 1, at any rate, have done my commission." Then Clara left him, and was alone for what remained of the afternoon. It could not be, she said to herself, that the property ought to be hers. It would make her miserable, were she once to feel that she had accepted it. Some small allowance out of it, coming to her from the brotherly love of her cousin, some moderate stipend sufficient for her livelihood, she thought she could accept from him. It seemed to her that it was her destiny to be dependent on charity, to eat bread given to her from the benevolence of a friend; and she thought that she could endure his benevol nce better than that of any other. Benevolence from Aylmer Park or from Perivale would be altogether unendurable. But why should it not be as Colonel Askerton had proposed? That this cousin of hers loved her with all his heart, with "If that were so, she would have been more humble to you, ma'am" "Not a bit, Fred. That's just it. That has been her cleverness. She tried that on at first, and found that she could not get round me. Don't allow yourself to be deceived by that, I pray. And then there is no knowing how she may be bound up with those horrid people, so that she cannot throw them over even if she would." "I don't think you understand her, ma'am.” a constancy for which she had at first given | cannot see more plainly than that. She is him no credit, she was well aware. And as a scheming, artful young woman, who is regarded herself, she loved him better than playing a regular game to catch a husall the world beside. She had at last be- band." come conscious that she could not now marry Captain Aylmer without sin, -without false vows, and fatal injury to herself and him. To the prospect of that marriage, as her future fate, an end must be put at any rate, an end, if that which had already taken place was not to be regarded as end enough. But yet she had been engaged to Captain Aylmer, - was engaged to him even now. When last her cousin had mentioned to her Captain Aylmer's name she had declared that she loved him still. How then could she turn round now, and so soon accept the love of another man? How could she bring herself to let her cousin assume to himself the place of a lover, when it was but the other day that she had rebuked him for expressing the faintest hope in that direction? But yet, yet -! As for going to Plaistow, that was quite out of question. "So you are to be the heiress, after all," said Mrs. Askerton to her that night in her bed-room. "I SUPPOSE now, my dear, it may be considered that everything is settled about that young lady," said Lady Aylmer to her son, on the same day that Miss Amedroz left Aylmer Park. "Nothing is settled, ma'am," said the Captain. "You don't mean to tell me that after what has passed you intend to follow her up any further.' "I shall certainly endeavor to see her again." "Then, Frederic, I must tell you that you are very wrong indeed; - almost worse than wrong. I would say wicked, only I feel sure that you will think better of it. You cannot mean to tell me that you would marry her after what has taken place?" "The question is whether she would marry me. "That is nonsense, Frederic. I wonder that you, who are generally so clear-sighted, THIRD SERIES LIVING AGE. VOL. XXXII. ..Oh; very well. But I understand this, and you had better understand it too; that she will never again enter a house of which I am the mistress; nor can I ever enter a house in which she is received. If you choose to make her your wife after that, I have done." Lady Aylmer had not done, or nearly done; but we need hear no more of her threats or entreaties. Her son left Aylmer Park immediately after Easter Sunday, and as he went, the mother, nodding her head, declared to her daughter that that marriage would never come off, let Clara Amedroz be ever so sly, or ever So clever. "Think of what I have said to you, Fred," said Sir Anthony, as he took his leave of his son. "Yes, sir, I will." He "You can't be better off than you are; you can't, indeed." With these words in his ears Captain Aylmer started for London, intending to follow Clara down to Belton. He hardly knew his own mind on this matter of his purposed marriage. He was almost inclined to agree with his father that he was very well off as he was. was almost inclined to agree with his mother in her condemnation of Clara's conduct. He was almost inclined to think that he had done enough towards keeping the promise made to his aunt on her deathbed, but still he was not quite contented with himself. He desired to be honest and true, as far as his ideas went of honesty and. truth, and his conscience told him that Clara had been treated with cruelty by his mother. I am inclined to think that Lady Aylmer, in spite of her high experience and character for wisdom, had not fought her battle altogether well. No man likes to be talked out of his marriage by his mother, and especially not so when the talking takes the place of threats. When she told him that under no circumstances would she 1442. again know Clara Amedroz, he was driven by his spirit of manhood to declare to himself that that menace from her should not have the slightest influence on him. The word or two which his father said was more effective. After all it might be better for him in his peculiar position to have no wife at all. He did begin to believe that he had no need for a wife. He had never before thought so much of his father's example as he did now. Clara was manifestly a hot-tempered woman, -a very hottempered woman indeed! Now his mother was also a hot-tempered woman, and he could see the result in the present condition of his father's life. He re-olved that he would follow Clara to Belton, so that some final settlement might be made between them; but in coming to this resolution he acknowledged to himself that should she decide against him he would not break his heart. She, however, should have her chance. Undoubtedly it was only right that she should have her chance. But the difficulty of the circumstances in which he was placed was so great, that it was almost impossible for him to make up his mind fixedly to any purpose in reference to Clara. As he passed through London on his way to Belton he called at Mr. Green's chambers with reference to that sum of fifteen hundred pounds, which it was now absolutely necessary that he should make over to Miss Amedroz, and from Mr. Green he learned that William Belton had given positive instructions as to the destination of the Belton Estate. He would not inherit it, or have anything to do with it under the entail, - from the effects of which he desired to be made entirely free. Mr. Green, who knew that Captain Aylmer was engaged to marry his client, and who knew nothing of any interruption to that agreement, felt no hesitation in explaining all this to Captain Aylmer. "I suppose you had heard of it before," said Mr. Green. Captain Aylmer certainly had heard of it, and had been very much struck by the idea; but up to this moment he had not quite believed in it. Coming simply from William Belton to Ciara Amedroz, such an offer might be no more than a strong argument used in love-making. "Take back the property, but take me with it, of • course." That Captain Aylmer thought might have been the correct translation of Mr. William Belton's romance. But he was forced to look at the matter differently when he found that it had been put into a lawyer's hands. Yes," said he, "I have heard of it. Mr. Belton mentioned it to 66 me himself." This was not strictly true. Clara had mentioned it to him; but Belton had come into the room immediately afterwards, and Captain Aylmer might probably have been mistaken. "He's quite in earnest," said Mr. Green. "Of course, I can say nothing, Mr. Green, as I am myself so nearly interested in the matter. It is a great question, no doubt, how far such an entail as that should be allowed to operate." "I think it should stand as a matter of course. I think Belton is wrong," said Mr. Green. "Of course I can give no opinion,” said the other. "I'll tell you what you can do, Captain Aylmer. You can suggest to Miss Amedroz that there should be a compromise. Let them divide it. They are both clients of mine, and in that way I shall do my duty to each. Let them divide it. Belton has money enough to buy up the other moiety, and in that way would still be Belton of Belton." Captain Aylmer had not the slightest objection to such a plan. Indeed, he regarded it as in all respects a wise and salutary arrangement. The moiety of the Belton Estate might probably be worth twentyfive thousand pounds, and the addition of such a sum as that to his existing means would make all the difference in the world as to the expedience of his marriage. His father's arguments would all fall to the ground if twenty-five thousand pounds were to be obtained in this way; and he had but little doubt that such a change in affairs would go far to mitigate his mother's wrath. But he was by no means mercenary in his views; so, at least, he assured himself. Clara should have her chance with or without the Belton Estate, -or with or without the half of it. He was by no means mercenary. Had he not made his offer to her, and repeated it almost with obstinacy, when she had no prospect of any fortune? He could always remember that of himself at least; and remembering that now, he could take a delight in these bright money prospects without having to accuse himself in any degree of mercenary motives. This fortune was a godsend which he could take with clean hands;- if only he should ultimately be able to take the lady who possessed the fortune! From London he wrote to Clara, telling her that he proposed to visit her at Belton. His letter was written before he had seen Mr. Green, and was not very fervent in its expressions; but, nevertheless, it was a fair |