e quite faltered and broke down
in this unlooked-for emergency. "Father," he said unawares, for the
first time for ten years, "if you wish it, I will join you in breaking
the entail."

"No such thing, sir," said the Squire, who, so far from being pleased,
was irritated and disturbed by the proposal. "I ask you to do your
duty, sir, and not to shirk it," the head of the house said, with
natural vehemence, as he stood with that circle of Wentworths round
him, giving forth his code of honour to his unworthy heir.

While his father was speaking, Jack recovered a little from his
momentary _attendrissement_. "Good-bye, sir; I hope you'll live a
hundred years," he said, wringing his father's hand, "if you don't
last out half-a-dozen of me, as you ought to do. But I'd rather not
anticipate such a change. In that case," the prodigal went on with a
certain huskiness in his voice, "I daresay I should not turn out so
great a rascal as--as I ought to do. To-day and yesterday it has even
occurred to me by moments that I was your son, sir," said Jack
Wentworth; and then he made an abrupt stop and dropped the Squire's
hand, and came to himself in a surprising way. When he turned towards
the rest of the family, he was in perfect possession of his usual
courtesy and good spirits. He nodded to them all round--with superb
good-humour. "Good-bye, all of you; I wish you better luck, Frank, and
not so much virtue. Perhaps you will have a better chance now the lost
sheep has gone back to the wilderness. Good-bye to you all. I don't
think I've any other last words to say." He lighted his cigar with his
ordinary composure in the hall, and whistled one of his favourite airs
as he went through the garden. "Oddly enough, however, our friend
Wodehouse can beat me in that," he said, with a smile, to Frank, who
had followed him out, "perhaps in other things too, who knows?
Good-bye, and good-luck, old fellow." And thus the heir of the
Wentworths disappeared into the darkness, which swallowed him up, and
was seen no more.

But naturally there was a good deal of commotion in the house. Miss
Leonora, who never had known what it was to have nerves in the entire
course of her existence, retired to her own room with a headache, to
the entire consternation of the family. She had been a strong-minded
woman all her life, and managed everybody's affairs without being
distracted and hampered in her career by those doubts of her own
wisdom, and questions as t