he altar, Lopez
made one or two resolutions as to his future conduct. The first was
that he would give himself a fortnight from his marriage day in which
he would not even think of money. He had made certain arrangements,
in the course of which he had caused Sextus Parker to stare with
surprise and to sweat with dismay, but which nevertheless were
successfully concluded. Bills were drawn to run over to February,
and ready money to a moderate extent was forthcoming, and fiscal
tranquillity was insured for a certain short period. The confidence
which Sextus Parker had once felt in his friend's own resources was
somewhat on the decline, but he still believed in his friend's skill
and genius, and, after due inquiry, he believed entirely in his
friend's father-in-law. Sextus Parker still thought that things
would come round. Ferdinand,--he always now called his friend by his
Christian name,--Ferdinand was beautifully, seraphically confident.
And Sexty, who had been in a manner magnetised by Ferdinand, was
confident too--at certain periods of the day. He was very confident
when he had had his two or three glasses of sherry at luncheon,
and he was often delightfully confident with his cigar and
brandy-and-water at night. But there were periods in the morning in
which he would shake with fear and sweat with dismay.

But Lopez himself, having with his friend's assistance arranged his
affairs comfortably for a month or two, had, as a first resolution,
promised himself a fortnight's freedom from all carking cares. His
second resolution had been that at the end of the fortnight he would
commence his operations on Mr. Wharton. Up to the last moment he had
hoped,--had almost expected,--that a sum of money would have been
paid to him. Even a couple of thousand pounds for the time would have
been of great use to him;--but no tender of any kind had been made.
Not a word had been said. Things could not of course go on in that
way. He was not going to play the coward with his father-in-law.
Then he bethought himself how he would act if his father-in-law were
sternly to refuse to do anything for him, and he assured himself that
in such circumstances he would make himself very disagreeable to his
father-in-law. And then his third resolution had reference to his
wife. She must be instructed in his ways. She must learn to look at
the world with his eyes. She must be taught the great importance
of money,--not in a griping, hard-fisted, prosai