is affairs properly settled. There were
debts to be paid, among which Mr. Neefit's stood certainly first. It
was first in magnitude, and first in obligation; but it gave Ralph
no manner of uneasiness. He had really done his best to get Polly
to marry him, and, luckily for him,--by the direct interposition of
some divine Providence, as it now seemed to Ralph,--Polly had twice
refused him. It seemed to him, indeed, that divine Providence looked
after him in a special way, breaking his uncle's neck in the very
nick of time, and filling a breeches-maker's daughter's mind with so
sound a sense of the propriety of things, as to induce her to decline
the honour of being a millstone round his neck, when positively
the offer was pressed upon her. As things stood there could be no
difficulty with Mr. Neefit. The money would be paid, of course, with
all adjuncts of accruing interest, and Mr. Neefit should go on making
breeches for him to the end of the chapter. And for raising this
money he had still a remnant of the old property which he could sell,
so that he need not begin by laying an ounce of encumbrance on his
paternal estates. He was very clear in his mind at this period of
his life that there should never be any such encumbrance in his
days. That remnant of property should be sold, and Neefit, Horsball,
and others, should be paid. But it certainly did occur to him in
regard to Neefit, that there had been that between them which made
it expedient that the matter should be settled with some greater
courtesy than would be shown by a simple transaction through his man
of business. Therefore he wrote a few lines to Mr. Neefit on the day
before he left the Priory,--a few lines which he thought to be very
civil.

Newton, 9th December, 186--.

MY DEAR MR. NEEFIT,--

You have probably heard before this of the accident which
has happened in my family. My uncle has been killed by
a fall from his horse, and I have come into my property
earlier than I expected. As soon as I could begin to
attend to matters of business, I thought of my debt to
you, and of all the obligation I owe you. I think the debt
is L1,000; but whatever it is it can be paid now. The
money will be ready early in the year, if that will do for
you,--and I am very much obliged to you. Would you mind
letting Mr. Carey know how much it is, interest and all.
He is our family lawyer.

Remember me very kindly to Miss Polly.