he middle of the church, open now, dark and staring, was the vault
of the Verners. There lay already within it Stephen Verner's father, his
first wife, and the little child Rachel, Rachel Frost's foster-sister. A
grand grave this, compared to that lowly mound outside; there was a
grand descriptive tablet on the walls to the Verners; while the mound
was nameless. By the side of the large tablet was a smaller one, placed
there to the memory of the brave Sir Lionel Verner, who had fallen near
Moultan. Lionel involuntarily glanced up at it, as he stood now over the
vault, and a wish came across him that his father's remains were here,
amidst them, instead of in that far-off grave.

The service was soon over, and Stephen Verner was left in his
resting-place. Then the procession, shorn of its chief and prominent
features, went back to Verner's Pride. Lionel wore his hat this time.

In the large drawing-room of state, in her mourning robes and widow's
cap, sat Mrs. Verner. She had not been out of her chamber, until within
the last ten minutes, since before Mr. Verner's death; scarcely out of
her bed. As they passed into the room--the lawyer, Dr. West, Jan, Mr.
Bitterworth, and Sir Rufus Hautley--they thought how Mrs. Verner had
changed, and how ill she looked; not that her florid complexion was any
paler. She had, indeed, changed since the news of John Massingbird's
death; and some of them believed that she would not be very long after
Mr. Verner.

They had assembled there for the purpose of hearing the will read. The
desk of Mr. Verner was brought forward and laid upon the table. Lionel,
taking his late uncle's keys from his pocket, unlocked it, and delivered
a parchment which it contained to Mr. Matiss. The lawyer saw at a glance
that it was the old will, not the codicil, and he waited for Lionel to
hand him also the latter.

"Be so kind as read it, Mr. Matiss," said Lionel, pointing to the will.

It had to be read; and it was of no consequence whether the codicil was
taken from the desk before reading the original will, or afterwards, so
Mr. Matiss unfolded it, and began.

It was a somewhat elaborate will--which has been previously hinted.
Verner's Pride, with its rich lands, its fine income, was left to John
Massingbird; in the event of John's death, childless, it went to
Frederick; in the event of Frederick's death, childless, it passed to
Lionel Verner. There the conditions ended; so that, if it did lapse to
Lionel