s; and those who knew him
well would hardly expect to see him die of a broken heart, should he
ultimately be unsuccessful.

When he had first thought of marrying Miss Amedroz he had imagined
that she would have shared with him his aunt's property, and indeed
such had been his belief up to the days of the last illness of Mrs.
Winterfield. The match therefore had recommended itself to him as
being prudent as well as pleasant; and though his aunt had never
hitherto pressed the matter upon him, he had understood what her
wishes were. When she first told him, three or four days before her
death, that her property was left altogether to him, and then, on
hearing how totally her niece was without hope of provision from her
father, had expressed her desire to give a sum of money to Clara, she
had spoken plainly of her desire;--but she had not on that occasion
asked him for any promise. But afterwards, when she knew that she was
dying, she had questioned him as to his own feelings, and he, in his
anxiety to gratify her in her last wishes, had given her the promise
which she was so anxious to hear. He made no difficulty in doing so.
It was his own wish as well as hers. In a money point of view he
might no doubt now do better; but then money was not everything. He
was very fond of Clara, and felt that if she would accept him he
would be proud of his wife. She was well born and well educated, and
it was the proper sort of thing for him to do. No doubt he had some
idea, seeing how things had now arranged themselves, that he would
be giving much more than he would get; and perhaps the manner of
his offer might be affected by that consideration; but not on that
account did he feel at all sure that he would be accepted. Clara
Amedroz was a proud girl,--perhaps too proud. Indeed, it was her
fault. If her pride now interfered with her future fortune in life,
it should be her own fault, not his. He would do his duty to her and
to his aunt;--he would do it perseveringly and kindly; and then, if
she refused him, the fault would not be his.

Such, I think, was the state of Captain Aylmer's mind when he got up
on the Sunday morning, resolving that he would on that day make good
his promise. And it must be remembered, on his behalf, that he would
have prepared himself for his task with more animation if he had
hitherto received warmer encouragement. He had felt himself to be
repulsed in the little efforts which he had already made to please