rs she should be your wife."

"After years, Sir Harry?"

"Yes, sir,--after years. Do you suppose that the happiness of such an
one as she can be trusted to such keeping as yours without a trial of
you? You will find that she has no such hope herself."

"Oh, of course; what she likes--"

"I will pay your debts; on condition that Mr. Boltby is satisfied
that he has the entire list of them."

George, as he heard this, at once determined that he must persuade
Mr. Hart to include Mr. Walker's little account in that due to
himself. It was only a matter of a few hundreds, and might surely be
arranged when so much real money would be passing from hand to hand.

"I will pay everything; you shall then go down to Scarrowby, and the
house shall be prepared for you."

It wasn't supposed, George thought, that he was absolutely to live in
solitary confinement at Scarrowby. He might have a friend or two, and
then the station was very near.

"You are fond of shooting, and you will have plenty of it there.
We will get you made a magistrate for the county, and there is
much to do in looking after the property." Sir Harry became almost
good-humoured in his tone as he described the kind of life which he
intended that the blackamoor should live. "We will come to you for a
month each year, and then you can come to us for a while."

"When shall it begin?" asked Cousin George, as soon as the Baronet
paused. This was a question difficult to be answered. In fact, the
arrangement must be commenced at once. Sir Harry knew very well that,
having so far yielded, he must take his cousin back with him to
Humblethwaite. He must keep his cousin now in his possession till all
those debts should be paid, and till the house at Scarrowby should be
prepared; and he must trust to his daughter's prudence and high sense
of right not to treat her lover with too tender an acknowledgment of
her love till he should have been made to pass through the fire of
reform.

"You had better get ready and come back to Humblethwaite with me
now," said Sir Harry.

Within five minutes after that there was bustling about the passages
and hall of the Crown Hotel. Everybody in the house, from the august
landlord down to the humble stableboy, knew that there had been a
reconciliation between Sir Harry and his cousin, and that the cousin
was to be made welcome to all the good the gods could give. While
Cousin George was packing his things, Sir Harry called for the bill