he soon had an opportunity of considering the matter more at leisure,
for Sir Philip Hastings, with some remark as to "dusty dresses not being
fit for ladies' drawing-rooms," retired for a time to the chamber
prepared for him. The fair lady of the house detained Mr. Marlow indeed
for a few minutes, talking with him in a pleasant and gentle tone, and
making her bright eyes do their best in the way of captivating. She
expressed regret that she had not seen him more frequently, and
expressed a hope, in very graceful terms, that even the painful
question, which those troublesome men of law had started between them,
might be a means of ripening their acquaintance into friendship.

The young gentleman replied with all gallantry, but with due discretion,
and then retired to his room to change his dress. He certainly was a
very good-looking young man; finely formed, and with a pleasing though
not regularly handsome countenance; and perhaps he left Mrs. Hazleton
other matters to meditate of than the topics of his conversation with
Sir Philip Hastings. Certain it is, that when the baronet returned very
shortly after, he found his beautiful hostess in a profound reverie,
from which his sudden entrance made her start with a bewildered look not
common to her.

"I am very glad to talk to you for a few moments alone, my dear friend,"
said Mrs. Hazleton, after a moment's pause. "This Mr. Marlow is the
gentleman who claims the very property on which you now stand;" and she
proceeded to give her hearer, partly by spontaneous explanations, partly
by answers to his questions, her own view of the case between herself
and Mr. Marlow; laboring hard and skilfully to prepossess the mind of
Sir Philip Hastings with a conviction of her rights as opposed to that
of her young guest.

"Do you mean to say, my dear madam," asked Sir Philip, "that he claims
the whole of this large property? That would be a heavy blow indeed."

"Oh, dear, no," replied the lady; "the great bulk of the property is
mine beyond all doubt, but the land on which this house stands, and
rather more than a thousand acres round it, was bought by my poor father
before I was born, I believe, as affording the most eligible site for a
mansion. He never liked the old house near your place, and built this
for himself. Mr. Marlow's lawyers now declare that his grand-uncle, who
sold the land to my father, had no power to sell it; that the property
was strictly entailed."

"That will