extended to the houses owned by Miss Stanbury on the bank side
of the Close,--it would belong altogether to Barty Burgess for his
life. "It will simply be this, Mr. Burgess;--that Brooke will be your
heir,--as would be natural."

"I don't know that it would be at all natural," said he. "I should
prefer to choose my own heir."

"No doubt, Mr. Burgess,--in respect to your own property," said Miss
Stanbury.

At last he said that he would think of it, and consult his partner;
and then he got up to take his leave. "For myself," said Miss
Stanbury, "I would wish that all animosities might be buried."

"We can say that they are buried," said the grim old man,--"but
nobody will believe us."

"What matters,--if we could believe it ourselves?"

"But suppose we didn't. I don't believe that much good can come from
talking of such things, Miss Stanbury. You and I have grown too old
to swear a friendship. I will think of this thing, and if I find
that it can be made to suit without much difficulty, I will perhaps
entertain it." Then the interview was over, and old Barty made
his way down-stairs, and out of the house. He looked over to the
tenements in the Close which were offered to him, every circumstance
of each one of which he knew, and felt that he might do worse. Were
he to leave the bank, he could not take his entire income with him,
and it had been long said of him that he ought to leave it. The
Croppers, who were his partners,--and whom he had never loved,--would
be glad to welcome in his place one of the old family who would have
money; and then the name would be perpetuated in Exeter, which, even
to Barty Burgess, was something.

On that night the scheme was divulged to Dorothy, and she was in
ecstasies. London had always sounded bleak and distant and terrible
to her; and her heart had misgiven her at the idea of leaving her
aunt. If only this thing might be arranged! When Brooke spoke the
next morning of returning at once to his office, he was rebuked by
both the ladies. What was the Ecclesiastical Commission Office to any
of them, when matters of such importance were concerned? But Brooke
would not be talked out of his prudence. He was very willing to be
made a banker at Exeter, and to go to school again and learn banking
business; but he would not throw up his occupation in London till he
knew that there was another ready for him in the country. One day
longer he spent in Exeter, and during that day he was more