feel the responsibility very much hitherto, as witness his absences in
Scotland, and his various social engagements when at home; it had been
very different (they said) in his father's day. The Heralds' College
held out hopes of affiliating him to the South Wales family, but it would
require time and money to make the requisite inquiries and substantiate
the claim. Now, in many a place there would be none to contest the right
a man might have to assert that he belonged to such and such a family, or
even to assume their arms. But it was otherwise in ---shire. Everyone
was up in genealogy and heraldry, and considered filching a name and a
pedigree a far worse sin than any of those mentioned on the Commandments.
There were those among them who would doubt and dispute even the decision
of the Heralds' College; but with it, if in his favour, Mr. Wilkins
intended to be satisfied, and accordingly he wrote in reply to their
letter to say, that of course he was aware such inquiries would take a
considerable sum of money, but still he wished them to be made, and that
speedily.

Before the end of the year he went up to London to order a brougham to be
built (for Ellinor to drive out in wet weather, he said; but as going in
a closed carriage always made her ill, he used it principally himself in
driving to dinner-parties), with the De Winton Wilkinses' arms neatly
emblazoned on panel and harness. Hitherto he had always gone about in a
dog-cart--the immediate descendant of his father's old-fashioned gig.

For all this, the squires, his employers, only laughed at him and did not
treat him with one whit more respect.

Mr. Dunster, the new clerk, was a quiet, respectable-looking man; you
could not call him a gentleman in manner, and yet no one could say he was
vulgar. He had not much varying expression on his face, but a permanent
one of thoughtful consideration of the subject in hand, whatever it might
be, that would have fitted as well with the profession of medicine as
with that of law, and was quite the right look for either. Occasionally
a bright flash of sudden intelligence lightened up his deep-sunk eyes,
but even this was quickly extinguished as by some inward repression, and
the habitually reflective, subdued expression returned to the face. As
soon as he came into his situation, he first began quietly to arrange the
papers, and next the business of which they were the outer sign, into
more methodical order than they