ara's disappointment. For she though she had in truth disliked the proposition that her cousin could be coming with any special views with reference to herself had nevertheless sufficient curiosity ab

stock of wine in the cellars at Belton Castle was, no doubt, very low. The squire himself drank a glass or two of port daily, and had some remnant of his old treasures by him, which might perhaps last him his time; and occasionally there came small supplies of sherry from the grocer at Taunton; but Mr Amedroz pretended to think that Will Belton would want champagne and claret and he would continue to make these suggestions in

had expressed her approbation, saying that she hoped it would lead to good results. Of what good results could her aunt be thinking? The one probable good result would surely. be this that relations so nearly connected should kn

ame the hour of his arrival, and was manifestly intending to make the most of the grievance should he not present himself before six but this indulgence was cut short by the sound of the gig wheels. Mr Amedroz and his daughter were sitting in a small drawing-room which looked out to the front of the house, and he, seated in hi

eyes, a large mouth, teeth almost too perfect and a well-formed nose, with thick short brown hair and small whiskers which came half-way down his cheeks a decidedly handsome man with

oy at Mr Folliott's?' he said. His voice was clear, and rat

ittle girl,' sai

hat's twenty years

to remind me of

't I? W

shows how ve

t signifies. How well I remember this room and t

rd eye, perhaps,'

the corns of Mr Amedroz, but he did not perceive it. And when the squire muttered something about a tenant, and the inconvenience of keeping land in his own hands, Belton woul

she contrived that this should take place within half an hour after his arrival, as he went through the hall up to his room. 'Mr Belton,' she said, 'I'm sure

tered since I

the fact is, that we are not so well off as we used to be, and

o?

of you, your coming a

e three times

as you find us, you know. T

. One couldn't write and ask such a question

it out alrea

not for young people. But it isn't comfortable when a man gets

o him. He has had to let the park to Mr St

talked about, how

't be m

e if I ain't. And I'll tell you what, I'll be kind to

Belton was looking full into her face, and sa

ther would have called indelicate and heartless, as though they gave him no effort, and placing himself at once almost in a position of ascendency. This Clara had not intended. She had thought that her farmer cousin, in spite of the superiority of his prospects

re ver

I have looked you up here for nothing. Blood is thicker than water, and you have nobody now

ow money on his life

a stranger of me. Anything does for me. Lord bless you! if you were to see how I rough it sometimes

he would be expected to change his coat, for her father would have been annoyed had his guest sat down to dinner without such c

She was his cousin, and cousins of course addressed each other in that way. Clara's quick eye immediately saw her father's slight gesture of dismay, but Belton caught nothing of this. The squire took an early opportunity of calling him Mr Belton with some little peculiarity of expr

in the parlour. Clara had been there some time, but had not seen her cousin. He entered the room immediately after her father, bring

n find me in bed, summer or winter. What's the use

,' said Clara; 'whether one h

good with land, must be out early. The grass will grow of itself at

o much good to the grass here

had now seated himself at the breakfast-table, and was playing with his knife

g about it, if you pl

t like it; but upon my word you ought

do you mean

one who would put stock in it not go on cutting it year after year and putting nothing

to put stock on the land,

roz, I'll do it myself.' By this time he had helped himself to two large slices of cold mutton

the question,'

the poor old man was absolutely unable to keep pace with him even to the repeating of his wish that the matter should be talked of no further. 'I'll tell you what I'll do, now,' continued Belton. 'There's altogether, outside the palings and in

Plaistow Hall

I've counted it up, and it would just cost me a thousand pounds to stock this place. I should come and l

he moment his anger with Farmer Stovey respecting the haycarts. He did not desire that the heir should have any immediate interest in the place. But he was not strong enough to meet the proposition with a direct negative. 'I couldn't get rid of Stovey in that way,' he said, plaintively. I've settled it all with Stovey alread

e twenty pounds had already been paid to Stovey, and the transaction was complete. Mr Amedroz sat in his chair bewildered, dismayed and, as he himself declared shocked, quite shocked, at the precipitancy of the young man. It might be for the best. He didn't know. He didn't feel at all sure. But such hurry

be a much better arrangement

ot everythi

elton, our own cousin, abou

now, and there is no use in complaining. I must

about the grounds, and had made plans, and counted up capabilities, and calculated his profit and los

medroz, with some affectation of dignity in his manner. '

I was acting as your own bailiff.' 'Son,' he was going to say, but he remembered

ave anything done,

o, to keep in the cattle, and leave other things as they a

out, and had already tied on

s,' said he, as soon as they we

when you remember all

e least; and I don't wonder

he dislikes y

al that he should dislike me. But I'll live it down. You see if I don't. I'll make him so

nderful man,

e you must do as you please about that. If I can mak

s; then

it! Only one likes to be friendly with one's frien

egun you had

as different as possible before this time next year. 'Why, there's lots of timber that ought to come out of the plantation; and there's places where the roots want stubbing up horribly. These things always pay for

y father, even though it

won't tread on his toes. Where d

buy

ovey, I

ovey. It goes ag

a cow. It shall be a little present from me to you.' He said nothing of the more important present which this would entail up

nk we'd better not at

made no such promise as to you. We'll have a cow before I'm many days older. What a pretty

s pre

ite flat. And there is a great dike, twenty feet wide, oozing through it just oozing, you know; and lots of little dikes, at r

drawn! I should commit

ad so much to

is the h

gables, tiled all over, and large square windows set in stone. The house is good enough, onl

hat is s

so that the whole thing must have been different once, and there must have been a great court-yard. In Elizabeth's time Plaistow Manor was rather a swell place,

it you

ent for his part. He's a clergyman you know, a

ve alone in th

. You've heard of

oor sickly creature, with a twisted spine and a hump ba

'I hope she's better than she u

nes he kicked on one side, and how invariably he noted any defect in the fences. But still he talked of his sister, swearing that she was as good as gold, and at last wiping away the tears from his eyes as he described her maladies. 'And yet I believe she is better off than any of us,' he said, 'because she is so good.' Clara began to wish that she had called him Will from the beginning, because she liked him so much. He was just the man to hav

s carrying herself with her cousin. She came at once to the wicket, and there she was introduced by Clara to Mr Belton. Mr Belton, as he made his bow, muttered something awkwardly, and seemed to lose his self-possession for the moment. Mrs Askerton was very gracious to him, and

el Askerton?'

French novel, as usual. It's the only thing he ever doe

at all, and when I

who has a pursuit

bread. A man has not much time for French novels with a thousand acres

always at work

t, Mrs Askerton. The

a spor

in the country a

'll be delighted, I'm sure, to see you if you are here some time in September. But

t shouldn't be as

he has got a fair head

sily kept if people kne

eeper, and has gone to a great deal

lton;' and so I will be or rather

perhaps he thought that she assumed too many of the airs of proprietorship becau

say you'll turn us out,' s

ody out or in,' said he. 'I'v

e her departure. Belton, as he went, lifted his hat from his head, and Clara could not keep herself from thinking tha

would come. And I shall be so happy to see Mr Belton if he will call before he leaves you.' At this Belton again raised his hat from his head, and mut

my friend,' said Clara, laughing, as soo

adly. At first I took her for somebody else I knew slightly ever

the other pe

ember that at the

on was a Mi

ndependently of that, they can't be the sa

ame of Berdmore pronounced, or had seen it written, or had in some shape come across the name in Mrs Askerton's presence; or at any rate somewhere on the premises occupied by that

t, I knew very little of him either. She was a fast-going girl, and his friends were very sor

erton like the

something about this woman that put me in mind of the other. Vigo was her name; now I re

e was Ol

e trumpery thirty or forty pounds a year, and then they seem to think that it's almost the same as though they owned the property themselves. I've known a man talk of hi

didn't think you

ck's up, it is up! B

be up while you rem

where it stood yesterday; and he promised he'd have it home before t

she had a companion, was Mrs Askerton; but Mrs Askerton did not like real walking. She would creep about the grounds for an hour or so, and even such companionship as that was better to Clara than absolute solitude; bu

dined at five,' he replie

deed indeed y

s for ye

o make it six while

must be, I supp

t my dinner, sir, at any hour that you'll undertake to give it m

been expressed by her cousin. Mr Amedroz of course made this an occasion for further grumbling, suggesting that Belton wanted to get the shooting for himself as he had got the

ton doesn't mean that

hat he means,'

treat Colonel Askerton

m just as I like,