y. I wish that I
could find it, I'm sure. It's wanted badly enough now-a-days. But that
reminds me, Quest. You will have gathered my difficulty from my note
and what George told you. You see this man Janter--thanks to that
confounded fellow, Major Boston, and his action about those College
Lands--has thrown up the Moat Farm, and George tells me that there is
not another tenant to be had for love or money. In fact, you know what
it is, one can't get tenants now-a-days, they simply are not to be
had. Well, under these circumstances, there is, of course, only one
thing to be done that I know of, and that is to take the farm in hand
and farm it myself. It is quite impossible to let the place fall out
of cultivation--and that is what would happen otherwise, for if I were
to lay it down in grass it would cost a considerable sum, and be seven
or eight years before I got any return."

The Squire paused and Mr. Quest said nothing.

"Well," he went on, "that being so, the next thing to do is to obtain
the necessary cash to pay Janter his valuation and stock the place--
about four thousand would do it, or perhaps," he added, with an access
of generous confidence, "we had better say five. There are about fifty
acres of those low-lying meadows which want to be thoroughly bush
drained--bushes are quite as good as pipes for that stiff land, if
they put in the right sort of stuff, and it don't cost half so much--
but still it can't be done for nothing, and then there is a new wagon
shed wanted, and some odds and ends; yes, we had better say five
thousand."

Still Mr. Quest made no answer, so once more the Squire went on.

"Well, you see, under these circumstances--not being able to lay hands
upon the necessary capital from my private resources, of course I have
made up my mind to apply to Cossey and Son for the loan. Indeed,
considering how long and intimate has been the connection between
their house and the de la Molle family, I think it right and proper to
do so; indeed, I should consider it very wrong of me if I neglected to
give them the opportunity of the investment"--here a faint smile
flickered for an instant on Mr. Quest's face and then went out--"of
course they will, as a matter of business, require security, and very
properly so, but as this estate is unentailed, there will fortunately
be very little difficulty about that. You can draw up the necessary
deeds, and I think that under the circumstances the right thing to do