his profession as it has
long been his amusement. He seems to think that although he will, of
course, be no longer obliged to look upon it as a necessary career, he
intends at any rate to pursue it for a time."

"That will be very interesting," Mrs. Brander said, "and it is quite the
fashion in our days."

"It is very nice when you haven't to live by it," Cuthbert said. "When
you are obliged to do that, and instead of painting what you like, have
to paint things that will sell, it is up-hill work, and none but men of
real talent can push their way up out of the crowd. I shall be more
happily situated, and shall therefore be able to devote an amount of
care and time to a picture that would be impossible to a man who had his
daily bread and cheese to earn by his brush. And now, Mr. Brander, we
will have a few more words together and then I must be off. I shall most
likely return to town this evening."

"It must be for you to decide, Mr. Brander," he went on, when they were
alone in the study, "how this news shall be broken to the public. I am
quite ready to be guided entirely by your wishes in the matter."

"The sooner the better. I would suggest that you should see Dr. Edwardes
before you go up to town. If you will tell him what I told them in the
next room, that it has been discovered that there is a flaw in the sale
of Fairclose, and that as you are engaged to marry Mary, we have arrived
at an amicable agreement under which you will return at once to
Fairclose, while I intend to seek an entirely new scene and to retire
altogether from business, there will be very little more needful. The
news will spread like wildfire over the town and county. After that I
shall have very few questions asked me. None that I shall not be able to
answer without difficulty. The state of my health will form an excuse
for my cutting my farewells short. There will, no doubt, be some gossip
and wonder as to how it has come about, but the county will be so
pleased at your coming back again to your father's place, that they will
not be very curious as to how it occurred. I shall go off as quickly and
as quietly as I can, after calling to say good-bye to those with whom I
have been so long associated in the municipal business.

"It matters not where we go. I can take a furnished house at some
seaside watering-place. The doctor will advise which is most likely to
suit me, and we can then look round and settle on our future plans at
our leis