"

"Still, consanguinity must be considered a little. You might leave a
certain sum to these Bruces--or if, on inquiry, you found among them
any child whom you approved, you could adopt him as your heir, and he
could take the name Montgomerie."

"No," replied the ear, decisively, "that name is ended. All I have to
consider is my own people here--my tenants and servants. Whoever
succeeds me ought to know them all, and be to them exactly what I have
been, or rather what I hope to be."

"Mr. Cardross, for instance. Were you thinking of him as your heir?"

"No, not exactly," replied Lord Cairnforth, slightly coloring. "He is a
little too old. Besides, he is not quite the sort of person I should
wish--too gentle and self-absorbed--too little practical."

"One of his sons, perhaps?"

"No, nor one of yours either; to whom, by the way you will please to set
down a thousand pounds apiece. Nay, don't look so horrified; it will
not harm them. But personally I do not know them, nor they me. And my
heir should be some one whom I thoroughly do know, thoroughly respect,
thoroughly love. There is but one person in the world--one young
person--who answers to all those requisites."

"Who is that?"

"Helen Cardross."

Mr. Menteith was a good deal surprised. Though he had a warm corner in
his heart for Helen, still, the idea of her as heiress to so large an
estate was novel and startling. He did not consider himself justified
in criticizing the earl's choice; still, he thought it odd. True, Helen
was a brave, sensible, self-dependent woman--not a girl any longer
--and accustomed from the age of fifteen to guide a household, to be
her father's right hand, and her brothers' help and counselor--one of
those rare characters who, without being exactly masculine, are yet not
too feebly feminine--in whom strength is never exaggerated to
boldness, nor gentleness deteriorated into weakness. She was firm, too;
could form her own opinion and carry it out; though not accomplished,
was fairly well educated, possessed plenty of sound practical knowledge
of men and things, and, above all, had habits of extreme order and
regularity. People said, sometimes, that Miss Cardross ruled not only
the Manse, but the whole parish; however, if so, she did it in so sweet
a way that nobody ever objected to her government.

All these things Mr. Menteith ran over in his acute mind within the next
few minutes, during which he did not commit hi