is showing himself as lord of
his own property! Perhaps he is demanding that you shall be delivered
up to him. If he does I shall vote for obeying."

"And I for disobeying,--and shall vote very strongly too."

Their suspense was yet prolonged for another ten minutes, and at the
end of that time the servant came in and asked if Miss Amedroz would
be good enough to go into the master's room. "Mr. Belton is there,
Fanny?" asked Mrs. Askerton. The girl confessed that Mr. Belton was
there, and then Clara, without another word, got up and left the
room. She had much to do in assuming a look of composure before she
opened the door; but she made the effort, and was not unsuccessful.
In another second she found her hand in her cousin's, and his bright
eye was fixed upon her with that eager friendly glance which made his
face so pleasant to those whom he loved.

"Your cousin has been telling me of the arrangements he has been
making for you with the lawyers," said Colonel Askerton. "I can only
say that I wish all the ladies had cousins so liberal, and so able to
be liberal."

"I thought I would see Colonel Askerton first, as you are staying at
his house. And as for liberality,--there is nothing of the kind. You
must understand, Clara, that a fellow can't do what he likes with
his own in this country. I have found myself so bullied by lawyers
and that sort of people, that I have been obliged to yield to them.
I wanted that you should have the old place, to do just what you
pleased with it."

"That was out of the question, Will."

"Of course it was," said Colonel Askerton. Then, as Belton himself
did not proceed to the telling of his own story, the Colonel told
it for him, and explained what was the income which Clara was to
receive.

"But that is as much out of the question," said she, "as the other. I
cannot rob you in that way. I cannot and I shall not. And why should
I? What do I want with an income? Something I ought to have, if only
for the credit of the family, and that I am willing to take from your
kindness; but--"

"It's all settled now, Clara."

"I don't think that you can lessen the weight of your obligation,
Miss Amedroz, after what has been done up in London," said the
Colonel.

"If you had said a hundred a year--"

"I have been allowed to say nothing," said Belton; "those people have
said eight,--and so it is settled. When are you coming over to see
Mary?"

To this question he got no definite answer