way. In that case, he would tell me as plainly as he meant to tell
her, that she must not look to a single farthing of his money to help
her, and not expect to find her name down in his will. He felt the
honour of a family alliance with me as sincerely as ever. But he must
abide by the conditions that he had stated. On those terms, he would be
proud to give me the hand of Regina at the altar, and proud to feel that
he had done his duty by his adopted child. I let him go on till he had
run himself out--and then I asked quietly, if he could tell me the
way to increase my income to two thousand a year. How do you think he
answered me?"

"Perhaps he offered to utilise your capital in his business," Rufus
guessed.

"Not he! He considered business quite beneath me; my duty to myself,
as a gentleman, was to adopt a profession. On reflection, it turned out
that there was but one likely profession to try, in my case--the Law.
I might be called to the Bar, and (with luck) I might get remunerative
work to do, in eight or ten years' time. That, I declare to you, was the
prospect he set before me, if I chose to take his advice. I asked if
he was joking. Certainly not! I was only one-and-twenty years old (he
reminded me); I had plenty of time to spare--I should still marry young
if I married at thirty. I took up my hat, and gave him a bit of my mind
at parting. 'If you really mean anything,' I said, 'you mean that Regina
is to pine and fade and be a middle-aged woman, and that I am to resist
the temptations that beset a young man in London, and lead the life of
a monk for the next ten years--and all for what? For a carriage to ride
out in, champagne on the table, and a footman to answer the door! Keep
your money, Mr. Farnaby; Regina and I will do without it.'--What are
you laughing at? I don't think you could have put it more strongly
yourself."

Rufus suddenly recovered his gravity. "I tell you this, Amelius,"
he replied; "you afford (as we say in my country) meaty fruit for
reflection--you do."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I reckon you remember when we were aboard the boat. You gave us a
narrative of what happened in that Community of yours, which I can truly
cha_rac_terise as a combination of native eloquence and chastening
good sense. I put the question to myself, sir, what has become of that
well-informed and discreet young Christian, now he has changed the
sphere to England and mixed with the Farnabys? It's not to