pon him instantly, and had become a
passion by the eagerness with which he had welcomed it. From that day
to this he had continued to tell himself that he could not enjoy his
good fortune unless he could enjoy it with her. There had come to be
a horrid impediment in his way,--a barrier which had seemed to have
been placed there by his evil fortune, to compensate the gifts given
to him by his good fortune, and that barrier had been Captain Aylmer.
He had not, in fact, seen much of his rival, but he had seen enough
to make it matter of wonder to him that Clara could be attached to
such a man. He had thoroughly despised Captain Aylmer, and had longed
to show his contempt of the man by kicking him out of the hotel at
the London railway station. At that moment all the world had seemed
to him to be wrong and wretched.

But now it seemed that all the world might so easily be made right
again! The impediment had got itself removed. Belton did not even yet
altogether comprehend by what means Clara had escaped from the meshes
of the Aylmer Park people, but he did know that she had escaped.
Her eyes had been opened before it was too late, and she was a free
woman,--to be compassed if only a man might compass her. While
she had been engaged to Captain Aylmer, Will had felt that she
was not assailable. Though he had not been quite able to restrain
himself,--as on that fatal occasion when he had taken her in his arms
and kissed her,--still he had known that as she was an engaged woman,
he could not, without insulting her, press his own suit upon her. But
now all that was over. Let him say what he liked on that head, she
would have no proper plea for anger. She was assailable;--and, as
this was so, why the mischief should he not set about the work at
once? His sister bade him to wait. Why should he wait when one
fortunate word might do it? Wait! He could not wait. How are you to
bid a starving man to wait when you put him down at a well-covered
board? Here was he, walking about Belton Park,--just where she used
to walk with him;--and there was she at Belton Cottage, within half
an hour of him at this moment, if he were to go quickly; and yet Mary
was telling him to wait! No; he would not wait. There could be no
reason for waiting. Wait, indeed, till some other Captain Aylmer
should come in the way and give him more trouble!

So he wandered on, resolving that he would see his cousin again
that very day. Such an interview as that whic