e should bring her
face to face with Mr. Gilmore. Wherever they went, their tour, in
accordance with a contract made by the baronet, was terminated within
two months. For on Christmas Day Mrs. Walter Marrable was to take her
place as mistress of the house at the dinner table.

The reader may, perhaps, desire to know whether things were made
altogether smooth with the Colonel. On this matter Messrs. Block and
Curling, the family lawyers, encountered very much trouble indeed.
The Colonel, when application was made to him, was as sweet as honey.
He would do anything for the interests of his dearest son. There did
not breathe a father on earth who cared less for himself or his own
position. But still he must live. He submitted to Messrs. Block and
Curling whether it was not necessary that he should live. Messrs.
Block and Curling explained to him very clearly that his brother,
the baronet, had nothing to do with his living or dying,--and that
towards his living he had already robbed his son of a large property.
At last, however, he would not make over his life interest in the
property, as it would come to him in the event of his brother dying
before him, except on payment of an annuity on and from that date
of L200 a year. He began by asking L500, and was then told that the
Captain would run the chance and would sue his father for the L20,000
in the event of Sir Gregory dying before the Colonel.

Now the narrator will bid adieu to Mary Lowther, to Loring, and to
Dunripple. The conduct of his heroine, as depicted in these pages,
will, he fears, meet with the disapprobation of many close and good
judges of female character. He has endeavoured to describe a young
woman, prompted in all her doings by a conscience wide awake, guided
by principle, willing, if need be, to sacrifice herself, struggling
always to keep herself from doing wrong, but yet causing infinite
grief to others, and nearly bringing herself to utter shipwreck,
because, for a while, she allowed herself to believe that it would be
right for her to marry a man whom she did not love.

CHAPTER LXXII.

AT TURNOVER CASTLE.

Mrs. Fenwick had many quips and quirks with her husband as to those
tidings to be made in a pleasant spirit which were expected from
Turnover Castle. From the very moment that Lord St. George had given
the order,--upon the authority chiefly of the unfortunate Mr. Bolt,
who on this occasion found it to be impossible to refuse to give a