uin. The practical difficulties at New Wanley
were proving considerable; the affair was viewed with hostility by
ironmasters in general, and the results of such hostility were felt. But
Richard was committed to his scheme; all his ambitions based themselves
thereupon. And those ambitions grew daily.

These greater troubles must to a certain extent solve themselves, but
in Highbury it was evidently time, as Alice said, to 'do something.'
His mother's obstinacy stood in the way of almost every scheme that
suggested itself. Richard was losing patience with the poor old woman,
and suffered the more from his irritation because he would so gladly
have behaved to her with filial kindness. One plan there was to which
she might possibly agree, and even have pleasure in accepting it, but
it was not easy to propose. The house in Wilton Square was still on
his hands; upon the departure of Emma and her sister; a certain Mrs.
Chattaway, a poor friend of old times, who somehow supported herself
and a grandchild, had been put into the house as caretaker, for Richard
could not sell all the furniture to which his mother was so attached,
and he had waited for her return to reason before ultimately deciding
how to act in that matter. Could he now ask the old woman to return to
the Square, and, it might be, live there with Mrs. Chattaway? In that
case both 'Arry and Alice would have to leave London.

On Saturday afternoon he had a long talk with his sister. To Alice also
it had occurred that their mother's return to the old abode might be
desirable.

'And you may depend upon it, Dick,' she said, 'she'll never rest again
till she does get back. I believe you've only got to speak of it, and
she'll go at once.'

'She'll think it unkind,' Richard objected. 'It looks as if we wanted to
get her out of the way. Why on earth does she carry on like this? As if
we hadn't bother enough!'

'Well, we can't help what she thinks. I believe it'll be for her own
good. She'll be comfortable with Mrs. Chattaway, and that's more than
she'll ever be here. But what about 'Arry?'

'He'll have to come to Wanley. I shall find him work there--I wish I'd
done so months ago.'

There were no longer the objections to 'Arry's appearance at Wanley that
had existed previous to Richard's marriage; none the less the resolution
was courageous, and proved the depth of Mutimer's anxiety for his
brother. Having got the old woman to Wilton Square, and Alice to the
Manor,