f her beauty.

Sir Ralph was seated with his legs crossed and his arm resting on the
table when the steward entered. Sir Reginald would have desired him to
sit down and welcomed him with a kind smile, and enquired after his
health. Sir Ralph allowed the old man to stand before him while he
issued his directions.

The house was to be freshly painted, and the furniture for some of the
best rooms sent down from London.

"I purpose making Texford my summer and winter residence when my
political duties do not require my attendance in London," he observed to
Mr Groocock.

Sir Ralph had sat in parliament for a close borough for the last three
years, and he had let it be known that he intended to stand for the
county at the next general election.

"Hurry on with the work, Mr Groocock, for Lady Castleton wishes to come
down as soon as possible."

The steward promised to see that his master's orders were executed to
the best of his ability.

"But you see, Sir Ralph," he observed, "workmen are often dilatory, and
we cannot always depend upon their doing what they promise."

"They will do the work if you keep a watchful eye on them, Mr
Groocock," answered the baronet. "I am not accustomed to have
difficulties raised when I give orders. My late uncle has been somewhat
over-indulgent, I suspect. You will get all the rent paid up and
proceed against defaulters, according to the power the law affords you.
I desire to have no injustice done to anyone, but I suspect that the
rents of several of the tenants ought to be raised. You will give them
notice that they must expect it."

"I will act as you desire, Sir Ralph, but I venture to observe that it
may be a hardship to some of them if we act according to the strict
letter of the law. The tenant may, from unforeseen circumstances, have
got into difficulties, or he may have expended a considerable amount on
his farm, and thus increased its value, or he may have a large family,
and find it a hard matter to make the two ends meet, or he himself, or
his wife or children, may have been suffering from sickness. In such
cases Sir Reginald was wont to give me discretionary power, and was
always more inclined to lower than raise the rent of a farm."

"I do not consider myself bound to be guided by what my uncle, an old
bachelor without ambition or any other aim in life beyond enjoying
existence, might have thought fit to do," answered Sir Ralph in an angry
tone. "You will see