, but had not much idea of the
shame, poor child, about her father. She told me the story of his coming
home in the morning, and her mother being in great distress, and saying
they were ruined, till you came and talked to her mother, and gave her
something. I asked if it was money, and she said it was paper. I showed
her a draft, and she knew it was like that. So then I made her tell me
where to find her father, whom I used to know in old times, and had to
write to, now and then. I hunted him up, and a creditable figure he was,
to be sure; but I got the truth out of him at last, and when he heard
you had got into disgrace on his account, he raved like a tragedy hero,
and swore he would come and tell your guardian the whole story. I put
him into a cab for fear he should repent, and he had just got to the end
of it when you came in.'

'It is of no use to thank you again, Markham!'

'Why, I have been getting your family out of scrapes these forty years
or thereabouts,' said Markham; ''tis all I am good for; and if they had
been no worse than this one it would be better for all of us. But time
is getting on, and there is enough to do.'

To the accounts they went at once. There was a good deal to be settled;
and though Guy had as yet no legal power, according to his grandfather's
will, he was of course consulted about everything. He was glad that,
since he could not be alone to bring himself to the realization of his
newly-recovered happiness, he should have this sobering and engrossing
occupation. There he sat, coolly discussing leases and repairs, and only
now and then allowing himself a sort of glimpse at the treasury of
joy awaiting him whenever he had time to dwell on it. The Coombe Prior
matters were set in a better train, the preliminary arrangements about
the curacy were made, and Guy had hopes it would be his friend Mr.
Wellwood's title for Orders.

There was no time to write to Hollywell, or rather Mr. Edmonstone forgot
to do so till it was too late, and then consoled himself by observing
that it did not signify if his family were taken by surprise, since joy
killed no one.

His family were by no means of opinion that it did not signify when the
next morning's post brought them no letter. Mrs Edmonstone and Charles
had hoped much, and Amy did not know how much she hoped until the
melancholy words, 'no letter,' passed from one to the other.

To make it worse, by some of those mismanagements of Mr. Edmonstone's