bably be my heiress--and, Aylward,"
here a sickly look of alarm spread itself over his face, "I don't know
how long I have to live. That infernal doctor examined my heart this
morning and told me that it was weak. Weak was his word, but from the
tone in which he said it, I believe that he meant more. Aylward, I
gather that I may die any day."

"Nonsense, Haswell, so may we all," he replied, with an affectation of
cheerfulness which failed to carry conviction.

Presently Mr. Haswell, who had hidden his face in his hand, looked up
with a sigh and said:

"Oh! yes, of course you have my support, for after all she is my only
relation and I should be glad to see her safely married. Also, as it
happens, she can't marry anyone without my consent, at any rate until
she is five and twenty, for if she does, under her father's will all her
property goes away, most of it to charities, except a beggarly L200 a
year. You see my brother John had a great horror of imprudent marriages
and a still greater belief in me, which as it chances, is a good thing
for you."

"Had he?" said Sir Robert. "And pray why is it a good thing for me?"

"Because, my dear Aylward, unless my observation is at fault, there is
another Richard in the field, our late partner, Vernon, of whom, by
the way, Barbara is extremely fond, though it may only be in a friendly
fashion. At any rate she pays more attention to his wishes and opinions
than to mine and yours put together."

At the mention of Alan's name Aylward started violently.

"I feared it," he said, "and he is more than ten years my junior and
a soldier, not a man of business. Also there is no use disguising the
truth, although I am a baronet and shall be a peer and he is nothing
but a beggarly country gentleman with a D.S.O. tacked on to his name,
he belongs to a different class to us, as she does too on her mother's
side. Well, I can smash him up, for you remember I took over that
mortgage on Yarleys, and I'll do it if necessary. Practically our friend
has not a shilling that he can call his own. Therefore, Haswell, unless
you play me false, which I don't think you will, for I can be a nasty
enemy," he added with a threat in his voice, "Alan Vernon hasn't much
chance in that direction."

"I don't know, Aylward, I don't know," replied Haswell, shaking his
white head. "Barbara is a strong-willed woman and she might choose to
take the man and let the money go, and then--who can stop her? Also I
don