going to dine here, Will?" she said.

"No; I think not."

"You promised you would. You told me you had nothing to do to-night."
Then she turned to Captain Aylmer. "You expect my cousin to dine with
us to-day?"

"I ordered dinner for three," said Captain Aylmer.

"Oh, very well; it's all the same thing to me," said Will.

"And to me," said Captain Aylmer.

"It's not at all the same thing to me," said Clara. "I don't know
when I may see my cousin again. I should think it very bad of you,
Will, if you went away this evening."

"I'll go out just for half an hour," said he, "and be back to
dinner."

"We dine at seven," said the Captain. Then Belton took his hat and
left the two lovers together.

"Your cousin seems to be a rather surly sort of gentleman." Those
were the first words which Captain Aylmer spoke when he was alone
with the lady of his love. Nor was he demonstrative of his affection
by any of the usual signs of regard which are permitted to accepted
lovers. He did not offer to kiss her, nor did he attempt to take
her hand with a warmer pressure now that he was alone with her. He
probably might have gone through some such ceremony had he first met
Clara in a position propitious to such purposes; but, as it was, he
had been a little ruffled by Will Belton's want of good breeding, and
had probably forgotten that any such privileges might have been his.
I wonder whether any remembrance flashed across Clara's mind at this
moment of her cousin Will's great iniquity in the sitting-room at
Belton Castle. She thought of it very often, and may possibly have
thought of it now.

"I don't believe that he is surly, Frederic," she said. "He may,
perhaps, be out of humour."

"And why should he be out of humour with me? I only suggested to him
that it might suit him to live at Belton instead of at that farm of
his, down in Norfolk."

"He is very fond of Plaistow, I fancy."

"But that's no reason why he should be cross with me. I don't envy
him his taste, that's all. If he can't understand that he, with his
name, ought to live on the family property which belongs to him, it
isn't likely that anything that I can say will open his eyes upon the
subject."

"The truth is, Frederic, he has some romantic notion about the Belton
estate."

"What romantic notion?"

"He thinks it should not be his at all."

"Whose then? Who does he think should have it?"

"Of course there can be nothing in it, you know; of course it