atest satisfaction to himself. This organ, it may be
guessed, was nothing else than Ernest; to Ernest therefore he proceeded
to unburden himself, not personally, but by letter.

"You ought to know," he wrote, "that your Aunt Alethea had given your
mother and me to understand that it was her wish to make you her heir--in
the event, of course, of your conducting yourself in such a manner as to
give her confidence in you; as a matter of fact, however, she has left
you nothing, and the whole of her property has gone to your godfather, Mr
Overton. Your mother and I are willing to hope that if she had lived
longer you would yet have succeeded in winning her good opinion, but it
is too late to think of this now.

"The carpentering and organ-building must at once be discontinued. I
never believed in the project, and have seen no reason to alter my
original opinion. I am not sorry for your own sake, that it is to be at
an end, nor, I am sure, will you regret it yourself in after years.

"A few words more as regards your own prospects. You have, as I believe
you know, a small inheritance, which is yours legally under your
grandfather's will. This bequest was made inadvertently, and, I believe,
entirely through a misunderstanding on the lawyer's part. The bequest
was probably intended not to take effect till after the death of your
mother and myself; nevertheless, as the will is actually worded, it will
now be at your command if you live to be twenty-one years old. From
this, however, large deductions must be made. There will be legacy duty,
and I do not know whether I am not entitled to deduct the expenses of
your education and maintenance from birth to your coming of age; I shall
not in all likelihood insist on this right to the full, if you conduct
yourself properly, but a considerable sum should certainly be deducted,
there will therefore remain very little--say 1000 pounds or 2000 pounds
at the outside, as what will be actually yours--but the strictest account
shall be rendered you in due time.

"This, let me warn you most seriously, is all that you must expect from
me (even Ernest saw that it was not from Theobald at all) at any rate
till after my death, which for aught any of us know may be yet many years
distant. It is not a large sum, but it is sufficient if supplemented by
steadiness and earnestness of purpose. Your mother and I gave you the
name Ernest, hoping that it would remind you continually of--" but