his voice, and suiting the action to the
word, commenced.

"It may," said he, "be called

"FIVE THOUSAND ACRES IN A RING-FENCE."

We shall not describe Mr Seagrove's motions; they must be inferred from
his words.

"'It will, then, William,' observed Mr Ponsonby, stopping, and turning
to his nephew, after a rapid walk up and down the room with his hands
behind him under his coat, so as to allow the tails to drop their
perpendicular about three inches clear of his body, 'I may say, without
contradiction, be the finest property in the county--five thousand acres
in a ring-fence.'

"'I dare say it will, uncle,' replied William, tapping his foot as he
lounged in a green morocco easy-chair; 'and so, because you have set
your fancy upon having these two estates enclosed together in a
ring-fence, you wish that I should also be enclosed in a _ring_-fence.'

"'And a beautiful property it will be,' replied Mr Ponsonby.

"'Which, uncle?--the estate, or the wife?'

"'Both, nephew, both; and I expect your consent.'

"'Uncle, I am not avaricious. Your present property is sufficient for
me. With your permission, instead of doubling the property, and doubling
myself, I will remain your sole heir, and single.'

"'Observe, William, such an opportunity may not occur again for
centuries. We shall restore Forest Wild to its ancient boundaries. You
know it has been divided nearly two hundred years. We now have a
glorious, golden opportunity of re-uniting the two properties; and when
joined, the estate will be exactly what it was when granted to our
ancestors by Henry the Eighth, at the period of the Reformation. This
house must be pulled down, and the monastery left standing. Then we
shall have our own again, and the property without encumbrance.'

"'Without encumbrance, uncle! You forget that there will be a wife.'

"'And you forget that there will be five thousand acres in a
ring-fence.'

"'Indeed, uncle, you ring it too often in my ears that I should forget
it; but much as I should like to be the happy possessor of such a
property, I do not feel inclined to be the happy possessor of Miss
Percival; and the more so, as I have never seen the property.'

"'We will ride over it to-morrow, William."

"'Ride over Miss Percival, uncle! That will not be very gallant. I will,
however, one of these days, ride over the property with you, which, as
well as Miss Percival, I have not as yet seen.'

"'Then I can tell you, she is a v