suspicious, and she wished to audit the books The Captain
prevaricated--the lady remonstrated, until the gentleman, with more truth
than manners, told her that she was a fool--the money he had expended or
lost at dice; and that he did not think the ministers quite so silly as to
make him a lord, or that he himself was such a fool as to make her his
wife; so the whole thing exploded."

John listened with a delight but little short of what he had felt when
Grace owned her love, and anxious to know all, eagerly inquired--

"But, is it true? how was it found out?"

"Oh, the lady complained of part, and the Captain tells all to get the
laugh on his side; so that Walker says the former is the derision and the
latter the contempt of all Bath."

"Poor Sir William," said the baronet, with feeling; "he is much to be
pitied."

"I am afraid he has nothing to blame but his own indulgence," remarked the
rector.

"You don't know the worst of it," replied Mr. Haughton. "We poor people
are made to suffer--Lady Jarvis wept and fretted Sir Time out of his
lease, which has been given up, and a new house is to be taken in another
part of the kingdom, where neither Miss Harris nor the story is known."

"Then Sir William has to procure a new tenant," said Lady Moseley, not in
the least regretting the loss of the old one.

"No! my lady!" continued Mr. Haughton, with a smile. "Walker is, you know,
an attorney, and does some business occasionally for Sir William. When
Jarvis gave up the lease, the baronet, who finds himself a little short of
money, offered the deanery for sale, it being a useless place to him; and
the very next day, while Walker was with Sir William, a gentleman called,
and without higgling agreed to pay down at once his thirty thousand pounds
for it."

"And who is the purchaser?" inquired Lady Moseley, eagerly.

"The Earl of Pendennyss."

"Lord Pendennyss!" exclaimed Mrs. Wilson in rapture.

"Pendennyss!" cried the rector, eyeing the aunt and Emily with a smile.

"Pendennyss!" echoed all in the room in amazement.

"Yes," said Mr. Haughton, "it is now the property of the earl, who says he
has bought it for his sister."

Chapter XXXIX.

Mrs. Wilson found time the ensuing day to ascertain before they left the
hall, the truth of the tale related by Mr. Haughton. The deanery had
certainly changed its master, and a new steward had already arrived to
take possession in the name of his lord. What induced