ining all this to Captain Aylmer. "I suppose you
had heard of it before," said Mr. Green. Captain Aylmer certainly
had heard of it, and had been very much struck by the idea; but up
to this moment he had not quite believed in it. Coming simply from
William Belton to Clara Amedroz, such an offer might be no more than
a strong argument used in love-making. "Take back the property, but
take me with it, of course." That Captain Aylmer thought might have
been the correct translation of Mr. William Belton's romance. But he
was forced to look at the matter differently when he found that it
had been put into a lawyer's hands. "Yes," said he, "I have heard of
it. Mr. Belton mentioned it to me himself." This was not strictly
true. Clara had mentioned it to him; but Belton had come into the
room immediately afterwards, and Captain Aylmer might probably have
been mistaken.

"He's quite in earnest," said Mr. Green.

"Of course, I can say nothing, Mr. Green, as I am myself so nearly
interested in the matter. It is a great question, no doubt, how far
such an entail as that should be allowed to operate."

"I think it should stand, as a matter of course. I think Belton is
wrong," said Mr. Green.

"Of course I can give no opinion," said the other.

"I'll tell you what you can do, Captain Aylmer. You can suggest to
Miss Amedroz that there should be a compromise. Let them divide it.
They are both clients of mine, and in that way I shall do my duty to
each. Let them divide it. Belton has money enough to buy up the other
moiety, and in that way would still be Belton of Belton."

Captain Aylmer had not the slightest objection to such a plan.
Indeed, he regarded it as in all respects a wise and salutary
arrangement. The moiety of the Belton estate might probably be worth
twenty-five thousand pounds, and the addition of such a sum as that
to his existing means would make all the difference in the world as
to the expediency of his marriage. His father's arguments would all
fall to the ground if twenty-five thousand pounds were to be obtained
in this way; and he had but little doubt that such a change in
affairs would go far to mitigate his mother's wrath. But he was by
no means mercenary in his views;--so, at least, he assured himself.
Clara should have her chance with or without the Belton estate,--or
with or without the half of it. He was by no means mercenary. Had he
not made his offer to her,--and repeated it almost with obstinacy,
w