you, it shall be sent.

"If you have nothing better to do at present, do come and see my
invalid at Malvern. Perhaps you might have a mind to treat for the
oil of Lebanon. I'll give you all the assistance I can in cheating my
lawyers."

There was not much about Mary in this; but still, the little that was
said made him again declare that neither father nor mother should
move him from his resolution. "I will write to her and say that she
may send her present when she pleases. Or I will run down to Malvern
for a day. It will do me good to see her." And so resolved, he rode
away to Mill Hill, thinking, as he went, how he would put the matter
to Harry Baker.

Harry was at home; but we need not describe the whole interview. Had
Frank been asked beforehand, he would have declared, that on no
possible subject could he have had the slightest hesitation in asking
Harry any question, or communicating to him any tidings. But when the
time came, he found that he did hesitate much. He did not want to ask
his friend if he should be wise to marry Mary Thorne. Wise or not, he
was determined to do that. But he wished to be quite sure that his
mother was wrong in saying that all the world would dissuade him from
it. Miss Dunstable, at any rate, did not do so.

At last, seated on a stile at the back of the Mill Hill stables,
while Harry stood close before him with both his hands in his
pockets, he did get his story told. It was by no means the first
time that Harry Baker had heard about Mary Thorne, and he was not,
therefore, so surprised as he might have been, had the affair
been new to him. And thus, standing there in the position we have
described, did Mr Baker, junior, give utterance to such wisdom as was
in him on this subject.

"You see, Frank, there are two sides to every question; and, as I
take it, fellows are so apt to go wrong because they are so fond of
one side, they won't look at the other. There's no doubt about it,
Lady Arabella is a very clever woman, and knows what's what; and
there's no doubt about this either, that you have a very ticklish
hand of cards to play."

"I'll play it straightforward; that's my game" said Frank.

"Well and good, my dear fellow. That's the best game always. But what
is straightforward? Between you and me, I fear there's no doubt that
your father's property has got into a deuce of a mess."

"I don't see that that has anything to do with it."

"Yes, but it has. If the estate was all