," he then said aloud; "you have a right to do as you please.
Still, I must remind you of your father's distinct assertion, that in
this case he has set you an example. He would not have the land."

"Does he mean," said Valentine, confused between his surprise at the
letter, his own recollections, and his secret wishes--"Does he, can he
mean, that his old mother positively asked him to be her heir, and he
refused?"

"I cannot tell; how is the will worded?"

"My great-grandfather left his estate to his only son, and if _he_ died
childless, to his eldest grandson; both these were mere boys at the
time, and if neither lived to marry, then the old man left his estate
to his only daughter. That was my grandmother, you know, and she had it
for many years."

"And she had power to will it away, as is evident."

"Yes, she might leave it to any one of her sons, or his representative;
but she was not to divide it into shares. And in case of the branch she
favoured dying out, the estate was to revert to his heir-at-law--the old
man's heir-at-law, you know, his nearest of kin. That would have been my
father, if he had lived a year or two longer, he was the second son. It
is a most complicated and voluminous will."

Brandon asked one more question. "But its provisions come to an end with
you, is it not so? It is not entailed, and you can do with it exactly as
you please."

Valentine's countenance fell a little when his brother said this; he
perceived that he chanced to be more free than most heirs, he had more
freedom than he cared for.

"Yes," he replied, "that is so."

CHAPTER XXII.

SOPHISTRY.

"'As he has not trusted me, he will never know how I should scorn to
be a thief,' quoth the school boy yesterday, when his master's
orchard gate was locked; but, 'It's all his own fault,' quoth the
same boy to-day while he was stealing his master's plums, 'why did
he leave the gate ajar?'"

"Val," said Brandon, "I do hope you will give yourself time to consider
this thing in all its bearings before you decide. I am afraid if you
make a mistake, it will prove a momentous one."

He spoke with a certain feeling of restraint, his advice had not been
asked; and the two brothers began to perceive by this time that it was
hard to keep up an air of easy familiarity when neither felt really at
ease. Each was thinking of the lovely young wife down-stairs. One felt
that he could hardly preach to the man