by reason of his father's generosity. She believed but
little in his love; but whether he loved the girl or merely sought
her money, was all one to her. Her whole life had been passed in an
effort to prove her daughter to be a lady of rank, and she would
rather sacrifice her life in the basest manner than live to see all
her efforts annulled by a low marriage. Love, indeed, and romance!
What was the love of one individual, what was the romance of a
childish girl, to the honour and well-being of an ancient and noble
family? It was her ambition to see her girl become the Countess
Lovel, and no feeling of gratitude should stand in her way. She would
rather slay that lowborn artisan with her own hand than know that he
had the right to claim her as his mother-in-law. Nevertheless, the
slow tears crept down her cheeks as she thought of former days, and
of the little parlour behind the tailor's shop at Keswick, in which
the two children had been wont to play.

But the money must be paid; or, at least, the debt must be
acknowledged. As soon as she had somewhat recovered herself she
opened the old desk which had for years been the receptacle of all
her papers, and taking out sundry scribbled documents, went to work
at a sum in addition. It cannot be said of her that she was a good
accountant, but she had been so far careful as to have kept entries
of all the monies she had received from Thomas Thwaite. She had once
carried in her head a correct idea of the entire sum she owed him;
but now she set down the items with dates, and made the account fair
on a sheet of note paper. So much money she certainly did owe to
Daniel Thwaite, and so much she would certainly pay if ever the means
of paying it should be hers. Then she went off with her account to
Mr. Goffe.

Mr. Goffe did not think that the matter pressed. The payment of
large sums which have been long due never is pressing in the eyes of
lawyers. Men are always supposed to have a hundred pounds in their
waistcoat pockets; but arrangements have to be made for the settling
of thousands. "You had better let me write him a line and tell him
that it shall be looked to as soon as the question as to the property
is decided," said Mr. Goffe. But this did not suit the views of the
Countess. She spoke out very openly as to all she owed to the father,
and as to her eternal enmity to the son. It behoved her to pay the
debt, if only that she might be able to treat the man altogether as