, who was dead, had been a Wesleyan
pastor; and his mother, who survived, entertained so great a respect for
the high position of that ministry that she had impressed upon Westray
from boyhood the privileges and responsibilities of his birth. But
apart from this objection, there was the further drawback that an early
marriage might unduly burden him with domestic cares, and so arrest his
professional progress. Such considerations had due weight with an
equally-balanced mind, and Westray was soon able to congratulate himself
on having effectually extinguished any dangerous inclinations by sheer
strength of reason.

This happy and philosophic state of things was not of long duration.
His admiration smouldered only, and was not quenched, but it was a
totally extraneous influence, rather than the constant contemplation of
Anastasia's beauty and excellencies, which fanned the flame into renewed
activity. This extraneous factor was the entrance of Lord Blandamer
into the little circle of Bellevue Lodge. Westray had lately become
doubtful as to the real object of Lord Blandamer's visits, and nursed a
latent idea that he was using the church, and the restoration, and
Westray himself, to gain a _pied-a-terre_ at Bellevue Lodge for the
prosecution of other plans. The long conversations in which the
architect and the munificent donor still indulged, the examination of
plans, the discussion of details, had lost something of their old
savour. Westray had done his best to convince himself that his own
suspicions were groundless; he had continually pointed out to himself,
and insisted to himself, that the mere fact of Lord Blandamer
contributing such sums to the restoration as he either had contributed,
or had promised to contribute, showed that the church was indeed his
primary concern. It was impossible to conceive that any man, however
wealthy, should spend many thousand pounds to obtain an entree to
Bellevue Lodge; moreover, it was impossible to conceive that Lord
Blandamer should ever marry Anastasia--the disparity in such a match
would, Westray admitted, be still greater than in his own. Yet he was
convinced that Anastasia was often in Lord Blandamer's thoughts. It was
true that the Master of Fording gave no definite outward sign of any
predilection when Westray was present. He never singled Anastasia out
either for regard or conversation on such occasions as chance brought
her into his company. At times he even made