dear old man, though he has such awful eyes. I never felt so happy in
my life as I do now. Good-bye. One o'clock." And she was gone, leaving
Philip with something to think about.

Philip's reception at home was cordial and reassuring. He found his
father considerably aged in appearance, but as handsome and upright as
ever, and to all appearance heartily glad to see him.

"I am glad to see you back, my boy," he said. "You come to take your
proper place. If you look at me, you will see that you won't have long
to wait before you take mine. I can't last much longer, Philip, I feel
that. Eighty-two is a good age to have reached. I have had my time,
and put the property in order, and now I suppose I must make room. I
went with the clerk, old Jakes, and marked out my grave yesterday.
There's a nice little spot the other side of the stone that they say
marks where old yeoman Caresfoot, who planted Caresfoot's Staff, laid
his bones, and that's where I wish to be put, in his good company.
Don't forget that when the time comes, Philip. There's room for
another if you care to keep it for yourself, but perhaps you will
prefer the vault."

"You must not talk of dying yet, father. You will live many years
yet."

"No, Philip; perhaps one, perhaps two, not more than two, perhaps a
month, perhaps not a day. My life hangs on a thread now." And he
pointed to his heart. "It may snap any day, if it gets a strain. By
the way, Philip, you see that cupboard? Open it! Now, you see that
stoppered bottle with the red label? Good. Well now, if ever you see
me taken with an attack of the heart (I have had one since you were
away, you know, and it nearly carried me off), you run for that as
hard as you can go, and give it me to drink, half at a time. It is a
tremendous restorative of some sort, and old Caley says that, if I do
not take it when the next attack comes, there'll be an end of 'Devil
Caresfoot';" and he rapped his cane energetically on the oak floor.

"And so, Philip, I want you to go about and make yourself thoroughly
acquainted with the property, so that you may be able to take things
over when I die without any hitch. I hope that you will be careful and
do well by the land. Remember that a big property like this is a
sacred trust.

"And now there are two more things that I will take this opportunity
to say a word to you about. First, I see that you and your cousin
George don't get on well, and it grieves me. You have always had