for her benefit? Were her fortune larger, I
should of course propose that my insurance should be heavier."

Sir Henry was so very reasonable that Mr. Bertram by degrees thawed.
He would make his granddaughter's fortune, six thousand as he had
always intended. This should be settled on her, the income of course
going to her husband. He should insure his life for four thousand
more on her behalf; and Mr. Bertram would lend Sir Henry three
thousand for his furniture.

Sir Henry agreed to this, saying to himself that such a loan from Mr.
Bertram was equal to a gift. Mr. Bertram himself seemed to look at it
in a different light. "Mind, Sir Henry, I shall expect the interest
to the day. I will only charge you four per cent. And it must be made
a bond debt."

"Oh, certainly," said Sir Henry.

And so the affair of the settlement was arranged.

CHAPTER XIV.

MRS. LEAKE OF RISSBURY.

Adela Gauntlet reached Littlebath without any adventures, and at the
station she met Miss Baker ready to take her and her boxes in charge.
She soon learned what was to be her fate for that autumn. It was
imperatively necessary that Miss Baker should go up to town in a week
or two. "There are such hundreds of things to be done about furniture
and all that, you know," said Miss Baker, looking rather grand as she
spoke of her niece's great match; and yet doing so with the least
possible amount of intentional pride or vanity. Adela, of course,
acknowledged that there must be hundreds of things, and expressed her
deepest regret that she should be so much in the way. Perhaps she
almost wished that she had remained at Hurst Staple.

"Not at all in the way, my dear," said Miss Baker; "I shall be back
again in a week at the furthest, and Miss Todd will be delighted to
have you for that time. Indeed, she would be very much disappointed
now, and offended too if you did not go. But all the same, I would
not leave you, only that Sir Henry insists that Caroline should
choose all the things herself; and of course he has not time to go
with her--and then the responsibility is so great. Why, I suppose she
will have to lay out about two thousand pounds!"

"But what sort of a person is Miss Todd?" asked Adela.

"Oh, an extremely nice person; you'll like her amazingly--so lively,
so good-natured, so generous; and very clever too. Perhaps, for her
age, she's a little too fond--"

"Too fond of what? You were going to say dress, I suppose."

"No, in