allow that half-envious sentiment to last
more than a moment. Why should he not be proud of any member of the
family who could irradiate the antique obscurity of the Chillingly race?
And how agreeable this clever young man made himself to Sir Peter!

The next day Gordon insisted on accompanying him to see the latest
acquisitions in the British Museum, and various other exhibitions, and
went at night to the Prince of Wales's Theatre, where Sir Peter was
infinitely delighted with an admirable little comedy by Mr. Robertson,
admirably placed on the stage by Marie Wilton. The day after, when
Gordon called on him at his hotel, he cleared his throat, and thus
plunged at once into the communication he had hitherto delayed.

"Gordon, my boy, I owe you a debt, and I am now, thanks to Kenelm, able
to pay it."

Gordon gave a little start of surprise, but remained silent.

"I told your father, shortly after Kenelm was born, that I meant to give
up my London house, and lay by L1000 a year for you, in compensation
for your chance of succeeding to Exmundham should I have died childless.
Well, your father did not seem to think much of that promise, and went
to law with me about certain unquestionable rights of mine. How so
clever a man could have made such a mistake would puzzle me, if I did
not remember that he had a quarrelsome temper. Temper is a thing that
often dominates cleverness,--an uncontrollable thing; and allowances
must be made for it. Not being of a quarrelsome temper myself (the
Chillinglys are a placid race), I did not make the allowance for your
father's differing, and (for a Chillingly) abnormal, constitution. The
language and the tone of his letter respecting it nettled me. I did
not see why, thus treated, I should pinch myself to lay by a thousand a
year. Facilities for buying a property most desirable for the possessor
of Exmundham presented themselves. I bought it with borrowed money, and
though I gave up the house in London, I did not lay by the thousand a
year."

"My dear Sir Peter, I have always regretted that my poor father
was misled--perhaps out of too paternal a care for my supposed
interests--into that unhappy and fruitless litigation, after which
no one could doubt that any generous intentions on your part would be
finally abandoned. It has been a grateful surprise to me that I have
been so kindly and cordially received into the family by Kenelm and
yourself. Pray oblige me by dropping all reference