dea from his mind.
She said nothing, but Mr. Longstaffe replied--

"At present that is no doubt the wisest way; but I think it is always
well that people should understand each other at once and provide for
all emergencies, so that there may be no wounded feeling, or that sort
of thing, hereafter. You know, Mrs. Warrender, that the house in
Highcombe has always been the jointure house?"

"Yes," she said, with a certain liveliness in her answer, almost
eagerness. "My husband has often told me so."

"We are authorised to put it in perfect repair, and you are authorised
to choose whatever you please out of the furniture at the Warren to make
it according to your taste. Perhaps we had better do that at once, and
put it into your hands. If you don't live there, you can let it, or lend
it, or make some use of it."

"It might be convenient," Mrs. Warrender said, with a slight hesitation,
"if Theodore means, as I suppose he does, to carry out improvements
here."

And yet she had implored him yesterday not to make many alterations!
Theo felt a touch of offence with his mother. He began to think there
was something in the things the girls used to say, that you never knew
when you had mamma, or whether she might not turn upon you in a moment.
She grew much more energetic, all at once, and even her figure lost the
slight stoop of languor that was in it. "If you are going to cut any
trees, or do any drainage, Theo, we could all live there while the works
went on."

He gave a slight start in person, and a much greater in spirit, and a
fastidious curve came to his forehead. "I don't know that I shall cut
any trees now. You know you said the other day, We can talk of that
after."

"Oh yes, it is early days," said the lawyer. "Of course it is not as if
there were other heirs coming in, or any compulsory division were to be
made. You can take your time. But I have always observed that things went
smoother when it was understood from the first, in case of a certain
emergency arising, or new conditions of any kind, so and so should
follow. You understand what I mean."

"It is always wisest," said the Warrender cousin, "to have it all put
down hard and fast, so that nobody may be disappointed, whatever should
happen. Of course Theo will marry."

"I hope so," said his mother, permitting herself to smile.

"Of course he will marry," said the lawyer.

"But he had better take his degree first," the cousin added, feeling
that he h