ake her his heiress, as she had
inherited a considerable fortune from her father; and the two lads at
Westminster were still regarded as rivals for the heirship.

Captain Bayley had never been on good terms with either of his
brothers-in-law; both had been merchants in the city, and the old
officer considered that his sisters had made mesalliances in marrying
them. Frank's father and mother had died within a few months of each
other, when he was about twelve years old; Captain Bayley's house had
since been his home. Fred was often invited to stay with his uncle down
in Worcestershire, and his London house in Eaton Square was always open
to him. Frank had never counted on the probability of his uncle leaving
him any money. Certainly he never for a moment built castles in the air
founded upon the chance of the inheritance. His father had been an
easy-going and somewhat careless man, and would sometimes laugh with the
boy in speaking of his future and predicting what he would do if he were
come into old Bayley's estates. None of the Captain's intimates
could--had they been asked--have declared a preference for the chances
of either lad. Fred was certainly the cleverest. He had gone into
college head of his year, and would have been Captain, had not one of
those of the year before him, who had got into College under age,
elected to stay a year longer at school, and therefore by right became
Captain, while Fred had to be content with the honours of head monitor.
Frank, on the other hand, had failed to get into College at all, and had
remained a town boy.

Although it could not be said of Fred that in any open way he laid
himself out to gain his uncle's favour, he was yet decidedly more
attentive than was Frank, and would give up any other engagement he
might have if Captain Bayley invited him to stay the Saturday and Sunday
in Eaton Square, while Frank went carelessly his own way. And while
there was nothing in the smallest degree servile in Fred's manner--for
this indeed Captain Bayley would have instantly noticed and
resented--there was just that slight deference which a young fellow
should exhibit in conversation with an elder, while Frank, on the other
hand, carelessly expressed his own opinion and ideas, which often
differed very widely from those of the old officer.

Captain Bayley's own manner evinced no shade of partiality for one
nephew over the other; and although Alice had a sort of faint suspicion
that Frank,