a duke,
was glittering before his imagination. His daughter--to what matches
might she not look forward? Even an alliance with the blood-royal was
not beyond the sphere of his hopes. His son was already a general--and he
himself whatever ambition could dream of in its wildest visions.

In this mood, if any one endeavoured to bring Sir Arthur down to the
regions of common life, his replies were in the vein of Ancient Pistol--

A fico for the world, and worldlings base
I speak of Africa and golden joys!

The reader may conceive the amazement of Miss Wardour, when, instead of
undergoing an investigation concerning the addresses of Lovel, as she
had expected from the long conference of her father with Mr. Oldbuck,
upon the morning of the fated day when the treasure was discovered,
the conversation of Sir Arthur announced an imagination heated with the
hopes of possessing the most unbounded wealth. But she was seriously
alarmed when Dousterswivel was sent for to the Castle, and was closeted
with her father--his mishap condoled with--his part taken, and his
loss compensated. All the suspicions which she had long entertained
respecting this man became strengthened, by observing his pains to keep
up the golden dreams of her father, and to secure for himself, under
various pretexts, as much as possible out of the windfall which had so
strangely fallen to Sir Arthur's share.

Other evil symptoms began to appear, following close on each other.
Letters arrived every post, which Sir Arthur, as soon as he had looked
at the directions, flung into the fire without taking the trouble to
open them. Miss Wardour could not help suspecting that these epistles,
the contents of which seemed to be known to her father by a sort of
intuition, came from pressing creditors. In the meanwhile, the temporary
aid which he had received from the treasure dwindled fast away. By far
the greater part had been swallowed up by the necessity of paying the
bill of six hundred pounds, which had threatened Sir Arthur with instant
distress. Of the rest, some part was given to the adept, some wasted
upon extravagances which seemed to the poor knight fully authorized by
his full-blown hopes,--and some went to stop for a time the mouths of
such claimants as, being weary of fair promises, had become of opinion
with Harpagon, that it was necessary to touch something substantial. At
length circumstances announced but too plainl