We have supposed she was still living in Tardif's house.
Then there is nothing to prevent me from carrying out my threat. Kate
Daltrey shall never enter this house as mistress."

"Would you have given it up for Olivia's sake?" I asked, marvelling at
her generosity.

"I should have done it for your sake," she answered, frankly.

"But," I said, reverting to our original topic, "if my father has set
his mind upon marrying Kate Daltrey, he will brave any thing."

"He is a dotard," replied Julia. "He positively makes me dread growing
old. Who knows what follies one may be guilty of in old age! I never
felt afraid of it before. Kate says she has two hundred a year of her
own, and they will go and live on that in Jersey, if Guernsey becomes
unpleasant to them. Martin, she is a viper--she is indeed. And I have
made such a friend of her! Now I shall have no one but you and the
Careys. Why wasn't I satisfied with Johanna as my friend?"

She stayed an hour longer, turning over this unwelcome subject till we
had thoroughly discussed every point of it. In the evening, after
dinner, I spoke to my father briefly but decisively upon the same topic.
After a very short and very sharp conversation, there remained no
alternative for me but to make up my mind to try my fortune once more
out of Guernsey. I wrote by the next mail to Jack Senior, telling him my
purpose, and the cause of it, and by return of post I received his
reply:

"Dear old boy: Why shouldn't you come, and go halves with me?
Dad says so. He is giving up shop, and going to live in the
country at Fulham. House and practice are miles too big for
me. 'Senior and Dobree,' or 'Dobree and Senior,' whichever you
please. If you come I can pay dutiful attention to Dad without
losing my customers. That is his chief reason. Mine is that I
only feel half myself without you at hand. Don't think of
saying no.

"JACK."

It was a splendid opening, without question. Dr. Senior had been in good
practice for more than thirty years, and he had quietly introduced Jack
to the position he was about to resign. Yet I pondered over the proposal
for a whole week before agreeing to it. I knew Jack well enough to be
sure he would never regret his generosity; but if I went I would go as
junior partner, and with a much smaller proportion of the profits than
that proffered by Jack. Finally I resolved to accept the offer, and
wrote to him as to the