ngham and Millicent at Reigate, and stopping at the hotel himself,
and having the wedding breakfast there.

"Of course, Dick, you will be my best man."

"I should think so," Dick laughed. "Why, if you had asked anyone else
I should have made a personal matter of it with him, and have given
him the option of resigning the position or going out with me. But your
other plans are foolish, and I shall take the matter into my own hands;
I shall insist upon the two ladies coming down to the Park, and I will
get my aunt to come and preside generally over things. I shall fill up
the house with bridesmaids, and shall have a dance the evening before.
You can put up at the hotel if you like, but you know very well that
there are a dozen houses where they will be delighted to have you; there
is no doubt that when they know what is coming off you will get a dozen
invitations, and then after church all those invited will drive off to
the Park to the wedding breakfast. After that is over you can start in a
post chaise to Canterbury or Dover, wherever you may decide to make your
first halt."

"But, my dear Dick, I could not put you to all this trouble!"

"Nonsense, man. I should enjoy it immensely; besides, I shall be really
glad of a good reason to try and open the doors of the Park again. I
have been there very little since my father's death, and I think I shall
make it my headquarters in future. I am getting rather tired of bachelor
life in London, and must look out for a wife; so nothing could be more
appropriate than this idea. Don't bother yourself any further about
it. I shall ride down and establish myself there tomorrow, and spend
a couple of days in driving round to our friends and in sending out
invitations. I shall still have nearly a fortnight for making
all preparations. Why, it will cause quite an excitement in the
neighborhood! I shall be hailed as a benefactor, and I shall let
everyone know that your father's ward was really your cousin, but that
by the will of her father she was to drop her surname until she came of
age; and that until that time your father was to have the entire control
of the property. I shall add that although the estate, of course, is
hers, your uncle has left you a very big fortune, and that nothing could
be more suitable in all respects than the marriage."

"That will do excellently, Dick; that will be quite enough, without
going into details at all. You can mention that we intend to have the