Maria Pinckney will be the real guardian."

"Well, I don't know," said Hennessey. He was confused by all these new
ideas shot into his mind suddenly like this after dinner, he could see
that Pinckney was genuine enough, all the same it irritated him to think
that Philip Berknowles should have chosen a youth like this to be second
father to Phyl. What was the matter with himself, Hennessey? Hadn't he a
fine house in Merrion Square and a wife who would have treated the girl
like a daughter?

"Well, I don't know," said he. "It's not for me to dispute the wishes of a
client, but I've known Phyl since she was born and I've known her father
since we were together at Trinity College and I'd have taken it more
handsome if he'd left the looking after of her to me."

"I wonder he didn't," said Pinckney. "He spoke of you a good deal to me,
spoke of you as his best friend; all the same he seemed set on the idea of
us taking care of the girl. He fell in love with Charleston and he
cottoned to us; then, of course, there were the family reasons. Phyl's
mother was a Mascarene; my mother was her mother's first cousin. Vernons
belonged to the Mascarenes, my mother brought it to my father as part of
her wedding portion. The Pinckneys' old house was lost to us in the smash
up after the war. So, you see, Phyl ought to be as much at home at Vernons
as I am. Funny, isn't it, how things get mixed up and old family houses
change hands?"

"And when do you want to take her away?" asked Hennessey.

"Upon my word, I've never thought of that," replied the other. "I want to
see things settled up here and to go over the accounts with you.
Berknowles said the house had better be let--I should think it would be
easy to find a good tenant--then I want to go to London on business and
get back as quick as possible. She need not come back with me, it would
scarcely give her time to get things ready. There's a Mrs. Van Dusen, a
friend of ours who lives in New York, she's coming over in a month or so
and Phyl might come with her as far as New York. It's all plain sailing
after that."

"Well," said Hennessey, folding up the will and putting it in his pocket.
"I suppose it's all for the best, but it's hard lines for a man to lose
his best friend and see a good old estate like Kilgobbin taken off to the
States--Oh, you needn't tell me, if Phyl goes out there she's done for as
far as Ireland is concerned. Sure, they never come back, the people that
go there