is mind when he wrote the letter of
which they were speaking, but he was by no means sure but that his
mind was not made up now in another direction. Since he had become
so closely intimate with Mr. Neefit, and since Polly had so clearly
explained to him her ideas as to paternal duty, his mind had veered
round many points. "Yes," said he. "I had made up my mind."

"I don't suppose it can be of any use for you and me to be bargaining
together," said the other Ralph.

"Not in the least."

"Of course it's a great thing to be heir to Newton. It's a nice
property, and all that. Only my father thought--"

"He thought that I wanted money," said Ralph the heir.

"Just that."

"So I do. God knows I do. I would tell you everything. I would
indeed. As to screwing a hard bargain, I'm the last man in London who
would do it. I thought that your father might be willing to buy half
the property."

"He won't do that. You see the great thing is the house and park. We
should both want that;--shouldn't we? Of course it must be yours; and
I feel--I don't know how I feel in asking you whether you want to
sell it."

"You needn't mind that, Ralph."

"If you don't think the sum the lawyers and those chaps fixed is
enough,--"

Then Ralph the heir, interrupting him, rose from his chair and spoke
out. "My uncle has never understood me, and never will. He thinks
hardly of me, and if he chooses to do so, I can't help it. He hasn't
seen me for fourteen years, and of course he is entitled to think
what he pleases. If he would have seen me the thing might have been
easier."

"Don't let us go back to that, Ralph," said the Squire's son.

"I don't want to go back to anything. When it comes to a fellow's
parting with such prospects as mine, it does come very hard upon
him. Of course it's my own fault. I might have got along well
enough;--only I haven't. I am hard up for money,--very hard up. And
yet,--if you were in my place, you wouldn't like to part with it."

"Perhaps not," said the Squire's son, not knowing what to say.

"As to bargaining, and asking so much more, and all the rest of it,
that's out of the question. Somebody fixed a price, and I suppose he
knew what he was at."

"That was a minimum price."

"I understand. It was all fair, I don't doubt. It didn't seem a great
deal; but your father might live for thirty years."

"I hope he will," said the Squire's son.

"As for standing off for more money, I never dreamed of suc