d the young man's name.

William Fielding, George's brother, was in love with his brother's
sweetheart, but he never looked at her except by stealth; he knew he had
no business to love her.

While George Fielding had been going steadily down-hill, till even the
bank declined to give him credit, Mr. Meadows, who had been a carter,
was, at forty years of age, a rich corn-factor and land surveyor.

This John Meadows was not a common man. He had a cool head, and an iron
will; and he had the soul of business--method.

Meadows was generally respected; by none more than by old Merton. In
fact, it seemed to Merton that John Meadows would make a better
son-in-law than George Fielding.

The day came when a distress was issued against Fielding's farm for the
rent, and as it happened on that very day Susan and her father had come
to dinner at The Grove. Old Merton, knowing how things stood, spoke his
mind to George.

"You are too much of a man, I hope, to eat a woman's bread; and if you
are not, I am man enough to keep the girl from it. If Susan marries you
she will have to keep you instead of you her."

"Is this from Susanna, as well as you?" said George, with a trembling
lip.

"Susan is an obedient daughter. What I say she'll stand to."

This was blow number two for George Fielding. The third stroke on that
day was the arrest of Mr. Robinson who had been staying at The Grove as
a lodger. Mr. Robinson dressed well, too well, perhaps, but somehow the
rustics wouldn't accept him for a gentleman. George had taken a great
liking to his lodger, and Mr. Robinson was equally sincere in his
friendship for Fielding. And now it turned out that the fools who had
disparaged Robinson were right, and he, George Fielding, wrong. Before
his eyes, and amidst the grins of a score of gaping yokels, Thomas
Robinson, alias Scott, a professional thief, was handcuffed and carried
off to the county gaol.

This finished George. An invitation to go out to Australia with the
younger son of a neighbouring landowner, hitherto disregarded, was now
accepted.

Old Merton approved the decision, and when his daughter implored him not
to let George go, he replied plainly, to both of them:

"Susan! Mayhap the lad thinks me his enemy, but I'm not. My daughter
shall not marry a bankrupt farmer, but you bring home a thousand
pounds--just one thousand pounds--to show me you are not a fool, and you
shall have my daughter, and she shall have my blessing." A