he was a skilful master, that the Aylmer alliance was distasteful to
him, and that he thought himself to be aggrieved in that his daughter
would not marry her cousin; whereas, over at the cottage, there was
a still more bitter feeling against Mr. Belton--a feeling so bitter,
that it almost induced Clara to wish that her cousin was not coming
to them.

But the cousin did come, and was driven up to the door in the gig
from Taunton, just as had been the case on his previous visit. Then,
however, he had come in the full daylight, and the hay-carts had been
about, and all the prettiness and warmth of summer had been there;
now it was mid-winter, and there had been some slight beginnings of
snow, and the wind was moaning about the old tower, and the outside
of the house looked very unpleasant from the hall-door. As it had
become dusk in the afternoon, the old squire had been very careful in
his orders as to preparations for Will's comfort,--as though Clara
would have forgotten all those things in the preoccupation of her
mind, caused by the constancy of her thoughts towards Will's rival.
He even went so far as to creep across the up-stairs landing-place to
see that the fire was lighted in Will's room, this being the first
time that he had left his chamber for many days,--and had given
special orders as to the food which was to be prepared for Will's
dinner,--in a very different spirit from that which had dictated
some former orders when Will was about to make his first visit, and
when his coming had been regarded by the old man as a heartless,
indelicate, and almost hostile proceeding.

"I wish I could go down to receive him," said Mr. Amedroz,
plaintively. "I hope he won't take it amiss."

"You may be sure he won't do that."

"Perhaps I can to-morrow."

"Dear papa, you had better not think of it till the weather is
milder."

"Milder! how is it to get milder at this time of the year?"

"Of course he'll come up to you, papa."

"He's very good. I know he's very good. No one else would do as
much."

Clara understood accurately what all this meant. Of course she was
glad that her father should feel so kindly towards her cousin, and
think so much of his coming; but every word said by the old man
in praise of Will Belton implied an equal amount of dispraise as
regarded Captain Aylmer, and contained a reproach against his
daughter for having refused the former and accepted the latter.

Clara was in the hall when Belt