being a brewer,--and having it all on himself as he has had. And
if young Rowan ever begins it, I wish him joy of it."

"But would he pay the income?" Martha asked.

"Mr. Honyman says that he would; and if he did not, there would be
the property to fall back upon."

"And where should we live?" said Cherry.

"That can't be settled quite yet. It must be somewhere near, so that
your papa might keep an eye on the concern, and know that it was
going all right. Perhaps Torquay would be the best place."

"Torquay would be delicious," said Cherry.

"And would that man come and live at the brewery?" said Augusta.

"Of course he would, if he pleased," said Martha.

"And bring Rachel Ray with him as his wife?" said Cherry.

"He'll never do that," said Mrs. Tappitt with energy.

"Never; never!" said Augusta,--with more energy.

In this way the large and influential feminine majority of the family
at the brewery was brought round to look at one of the propositions
made by Rowan without disfavour. It was not that that young man's
sins had been in any degree forgiven, but that they all perceived,
with female prudence, that it would be injudicious to ruin themselves
because they hated him. And then to what lady living in a dingy brick
house, close adjoining to the smoke and smells of beer-brewing,
would not the idea of a marine villa at Torquay be delicious? None
of the family, not even Mrs. Tappitt herself, had ever known what
annual profit had accrued to Mr. T. as the reward of his life's work.
But they had been required to live in a modest, homely way,--as
though that annual profit had not been great. Under the altered
circumstances, as now proposed, they would all know that papa had
a thousand a year to spend;--and what might not be done at Torquay
with a thousand a year? Before Mr. Tappitt came home for the
evening,--which he did not do on that day till past ten, having been
detained, by business, in the bar of the Dragon Inn,--they had all
resolved that the combined ease and dignity of a thousand a year
should be accepted.

Mr. Tappitt was still perturbed in spirit when he took himself to the
marital chamber. What had been the nature of the business which had
detained him at the bar of the Dragon he did not condescend to say,
but it seemed to have been of a nature not well adapted to smooth his
temper. Mrs. Tappitt perhaps guessed what that business had been; but
if so, she said nothing of the subject in direct word