Crofts Is Turned Out
XL. Preparations for the Wedding
XLI. Domestic Troubles
XLII. Lily's Bedside
XLIII. Fie, Fie!
XLIV. Valentine's Day at Allington
XLV. Valentine's Day in London
XLVI. John Eames at His Office
XLVII. The New Private Secretary
XLVIII. Nemesis
XLIX. Preparations for Going
L. Mrs Dale Is Thankful for a Good Thing
LI. John Eames Does Things Which He Ought Not to Have Done
LII. The First Visit to the Guestwick Bridge
LIII. Loquitur Hopkins
LIV. The Second Visit to the Guestwick Bridge
LV. Not Very Fie Fie after All
LVI. Showing How Mr Crosbie Became Again a Happy Man
LVII. Lilian Dale Vanquishes Her Mother
LVIII. The Fate of the Small House
LIX. John Eames Becomes a Man
LX. Conclusion

CHAPTER I

The Squire of Allington

Of course there was a Great House at Allington. How otherwise should
there have been a Small House? Our story will, as its name imports,
have its closest relations with those who lived in the less dignified
domicile of the two; but it will have close relations also with
the more dignified, and it may be well that I should, in the first
instance, say a few words as to the Great House and its owner.

The squires of Allington had been squires of Allington since squires,
such as squires are now, were first known in England. From father
to son, and from uncle to nephew, and, in one instance, from second
cousin to second cousin, the sceptre had descended in the family of
the Dales; and the acres had remained intact, growing in value and
not decreasing in number, though guarded by no entail and protected
by no wonderful amount of prudence or wisdom. The estate of Dale of
Allington had been coterminous with the parish of Allington for some
hundreds of years; and though, as I have said, the race of squires
had possessed nothing of superhuman discretion, and had perhaps been
guided in their walks through life by no very distinct principles,
still there had been with them so much of adherence to a sacred law,
that no acre of the property had ever been parted from the hands of
the existing squire. Some futile attempts had been made to increase
the territory, as indeed had been done by Kit Dale, the father of
Christopher Dale, who will appear as our squire of Allington when the
persons of our drama are introduced. Old Kit Dale, who had married