rriage was not made quite clear to the banker's mind, but he did
understand that neither he, nor his wife, nor his sons had 'any power,'
and of that argument he was determined to make use.

William, the barrister in London, was induced to write a letter, a very
lengthy and elaborate epistle having come from Mrs. Bolton to his wife,
in which the religious duty of all the Boltons was set forth in strong
language, and in which he was incited to do something. It was almost the
first letter which Mrs. William Bolton had ever received from her
step-mother, whatever trifling correspondence there might have been
between them having been of no consequence. They, too, felt that it
would be better that Hester should return to her old home, but felt also
that they had no power. 'Of course, she won't,' said Mrs. William.

'She has a will of her own,' said the barrister.

'Why should she? Think of the gloom of that home at Chesterton, and her
absolute independence at Folking. No doubt it would be better. The
position is so frightful that even the gloom would be better. But she
won't. We all know that.'

The barrister, however, feeling that it would be better, thought that he
should perform his duty by expressing his opinion, and wrote a letter to
Hester, which was intended to be if possible persuasive;--and this was
the answer:--

'DEAR WILLIAM,--If you were carried away to prison on some horrible
false accusation, would Fanny go away from you, and desert your
house and your affairs, and return to her parents? You ask her, and
ask her whether she would believe anything that anybody could say
against you. If they told her that her children were nameless, would
she agree to make them so by giving up your name? Wouldn't she cling
to you the more, the more all the world was against you?' ('I
would,' said Fanny, with tearful energy. 'Fanny' was, of course,
Mrs. William Bolton, and was the happy mother of five nearly
grown-up sons and daughters, and certainly stood in no peril as to
her own or their possession of the name of Bolton. The letter was
being read aloud to her by her husband, whose mind was also stirred
in his sister's favour by the nature of the arguments used.) 'If
so,' continued the writer, 'why shouldn't I be the same? I don't
believe a word the people said. I am sure I am his wife. And as,
when he was taken away from me, he left a house for his wife and