arry the daughter of a man who made--breeches, no lady
would associate with his wife. Sir Thomas also had seemed to imply
that he must sell his property. He would show Sir Thomas that he
could have a will and a way of his own. Polly Neefit should become
his wife; and he would show the world that no proudest lady in the
land was treated with more delicate consideration by her husband than
the breeches-maker's daughter should be treated by him. And when it
should please Providence to decide that the present squire of Newton
had reigned long enough over that dominion, he would show the world
that he had known something of his own position and the value of his
own prospects. Then Polly should be queen in the Newton dominions,
and he would see whether the ordinary world of worshippers would not
come and worship as usual. All the same, he did not on that occasion
go out to Alexandria Cottage.

When he reached his club he found a note from his brother.

Newton Peele, September 8th, 186--.

MY DEAR RALPH,--

I have been sorry not to have had an answer from you to
the letter which I wrote to you about a month ago. Of
course I hear of what is going on. Ralph Newton up at the
house tells me everything. The Squire is still in town,
as, of course, you know; and there has got to be a report
about here that he has, as the people say, bought you out.
I still hope that this is not true. The very idea of it
is terrible to me;--that you should sell for an old song,
as it were, the property that has belonged to us for
centuries! It would not, indeed, go out of the name, but,
as far as you and I are concerned, that is the same. I
will not refuse, myself, to do anything that you may say
is necessary to extricate yourself from embarrassment; but
I ran hardly bring myself to believe that a step so fatal
as this can be necessary.

If I understand the matter rightly your difficulty is not
so much in regard to debts as in the want of means of
livelihood. If so, can you not bring yourself to live
quietly for a term of years. Of course you ought to marry,
and there may be a difficulty there; but almost anything
would be better than abandoning the property. As I told
you before, you are welcome to the use of the whole of my
share of the London property. It is very nearly L400 a
year. Could you not live on that till things come round?

Our cousin Ralph knows