nce to herself had nevertheless sufficient curiosity about
the stranger to wish to talk about him. Her father, indeed, mentioned
Belton's name very frequently, saying something with reference to him
every time he found himself in his daughter's presence. A dozen times
he said that the man was heartless to come to the house at such a
time, and he spoke of his cousin always as though the man were guilty
of a gross injustice in being heir to the property. But not the less
on that account did he fidget himself about the room in which Belton
was to sleep, about the food that Belton was to eat, and especially
about the wine that Belton was to drink. What was he to do for wine?
The 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 spite of his own repeated complaints
that the man was no better than an ordinary farmer. "I've no doubt
he'll like beer," said Clara. "Beer!" said her father, and then
stopped himself, as though he were lost in doubt whether it would
best suit him to scorn his cousin for having so low a taste as that
suggested on his behalf, or to ridicule his daughter's idea that the
household difficulty admitted of so convenient a solution.

The day of the arrival at last came, and Clara certainly was in a
twitter, although she had steadfastly resolved that she would be in
no twitter at all. She had told her aunt by letter of the proposed
visit, and Mrs. Winterfield 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 know each
other. Why should there be any fuss made about such a visit? But,
nevertheless, Clara, though she made no outward fuss, knew that
inwardly she was not as calm about the man's coming as she would have
wished herself to be.

He arrived about five o'clock in a gig from Taunton. Five was the
ordinary dinner hour at Belton, but it had been postponed till six on
this day, in the hope that the cousin might make his appearance at
any rate by that hour.