r conversation.
Colonel Askerton was not there now, and Belton was almost afraid that
words would be spoken to which he would hardly know how to listen.

"And so you are really going?" said Mrs. Askerton.

"Yes; we start to-morrow," said Clara.

"I am not thinking of the journey to London," said Mrs. Askerton,
"but of the danger and privations of your subsequent progress to the
North."

"I shall do very well. I am not afraid that any one will eat me."

"There are so many different ways of eating people! Are there not,
Mr. Belton?"

"I don't know about eating, but there are a great many ways of boring
people," said he.

"And I should think they will be great at that kind of thing at
Aylmer Castle. One never hears of Sir Anthony, but I can fancy Lady
Aylmer to be a terrible woman."

"I shall manage to hold my own, I dare say," said Clara.

"I hope you will; I do hope you will," said Mrs. Askerton. "I don't
know whether you will be powerful to do so, or whether you will fail;
my heart is not absolute; but I do know what will be the result if
you are successful."

"It is much more then than I know myself."

"That I can believe too. Do you travel down to Yorkshire alone?"

"No; Captain Aylmer will meet me in town."

Then Mrs. Askerton looked at Mr. Belton, but made no immediate reply;
nor did she say anything further about Clara's journey. She looked
at Mr. Belton, and Will caught her eye, and understood that he was
being rebuked for not having carried out that little scheme which had
been prepared for him. But he had come to hate the scheme, and almost
hated Mrs. Askerton for proposing it. He had declared to himself
that her welfare, Clara's welfare, was the one thing which he should
regard; and he had told himself that he was not strong enough, either
in purpose or in wit, to devise schemes for her welfare. She was
better able to manage things for herself than he was to manage them
for her. If she loved this "accursed beast," let her marry him;
only,--for that was now his one difficulty,--only he could not bring
himself to think it possible that she should love him.

"I suppose you will never see this place again?" said Mrs. Askerton
after a long pause.

"I hope I shall, very often," said Clara. "Why should I not see it
again? It is not going out of the family."

"No; not exactly out of the family. That is, it will belong to your
cousin."

"And cousins may be as far apart as strangers, you mean; but