was no one else of the family who could stand in his way, he had
no alternative but to become Belton of Belton. He would, however,
sell his estate in Norfolk, and raise money for endowing Clara with
commensurate riches. Such was his own plan;--but having fallen among
counsellors he would not exactly follow his own plan, and at last
submitted to an arrangement in accordance with which an annuity of
eight hundred pounds a year was to be settled upon Clara, and this
was to lie as a charge upon the estate in Norfolk.

"It seems to me to be very shabby," said William Belton.

"It seems to me to be very extravagant," said the leader among the
counsellors. "She is not entitled to sixpence."

But at last the arrangement as above described was the one to which
they all assented.

When Belton reached the house which was now his own he found no one
there but his sister. Clara was at the cottage. As he had been told
that she was to return there, he had no reason to be annoyed. But,
nevertheless, he was annoyed, or rather discontented, and had not
been a quarter of an hour about the place before he declared his
intention to go and seek her.

"Do no such thing, Will; pray do not," said his sister.

"And why not?"

"Because it will be better that you should wait. You will only injure
yourself and her by being impetuous."

"But it is absolutely necessary that she should know her own
position. It would be cruelty to keep her in ignorance;--though for
the matter of that I shall be ashamed to tell her. Yes;--I shall be
ashamed to look her in the face. What will she think of it after I
had assured her that she should have the whole?"

"But she would not have taken it, Will. And had she done so, she
would have been very wrong. Now she will be comfortable."

"I wish I could be comfortable," said he.

"If you will only wait--"

"I hate waiting. I do not see what good it will do. Besides, I don't
mean to say anything about that,--not to-day, at least. I don't
indeed. As for being here and not seeing her, that is out of the
question. Of course she would think that I had quarrelled with her,
and that I meant to take everything to myself, now that I have the
power."

"She won't suspect you of wishing to quarrel with her, Will."

"I should in her place. It is out of the question that I should be
here, and not go to her. It would be monstrous. I will wait till they
have done lunch, and then I will go up."

It was at last decide