compose his mind to think, or even his hand to
write. He did not know whether it would be right in him to accept
such pecuniary liberality from any living man, and almost thought
that he should feel himself bound to reject the earl's offer. As to
the squire's money, that he knew he might accept. All that comes in
the shape of a young woman's fortune may be taken by any man.

He would certainly answer the earl's letter, and that at once. He
would not leave the office till he had done so. His friend should
have cause to bring no further charge against him of that kind. And
then again he reverted to the injustice which had been done to him in
the matter of letter-writing--as if that consideration were of moment
in such a state of circumstances as was now existing. But at last
his thoughts brought themselves to the real question at issue. Would
Lily Dale accept him? After all, the realisation of his good fortune
depended altogether upon her feelings; and, as he remembered this,
his mind misgave him sorely. It was filled not only with a young
lover's ordinary doubts, with the fear and trembling incidental to
the bashfulness of hobbledehoyhood--but with an idea that that affair
with Crosbie would still stand in his way. He did not, perhaps,
rightly understand all that Lily had suffered, but he conceived it
to be probable that there had been wounds which even the last five
months might not yet have cured. Could it be that she would allow him
to cure these wounds? As he thought of this he felt almost crushed
to the earth by an indomitable bashfulness and conviction of his own
unworthiness. What had he to offer worthy of the acceptance of such a
girl as Lilian Dale?

I fear that the Crown did not get out of John Eames an adequate
return for his salary on that day. So adequate, however, had been the
return given by him for some time past, that promotion was supposed
throughout the Income-tax Office to be coming in his way, much to the
jealousy of Cradell, Fisher, and others, his immediate compeers and
cronies. And the place assigned to him by rumour was one which was
generally regarded as a perfect Elysium upon earth in the Civil
Service world. He was, so rumour said, to become private secretary to
the First Commissioner. He would be removed by such a change as this
from the large uncarpeted room in which he at present sat; occupying
the same desk with another man to whom he had felt himself to be
ignominiously bound, as dogs m