ken up."

"I should doubt whether her cure will be as prompt as you think, it
seemed to me that her ideas were somewhat fixed, and it will need a good
deal of failure to disillusionize her."

"She is as obstinate as a little mule," Mr. Brander said shortly.
"However, I must be going," he went on, rising from his chair. "I drove
over directly I had finished my breakfast and must hurry back again to
the office. Well, I hope with all my heart, Mr. Hartington, that this
most unfortunate affair will not turn out so badly after all."

Cuthbert did not echo the sentiment, but accompanied his visitor
silently to the door, and after seeing him off returned to the room,
where he reseated himself in his chair, filled and lighted his pipe, put
his legs on to another chair, and proceeded to think the matter out.

It was certainly a wholly unexpected change; but at present he did not
feel it to be an unpleasant one, but rather a relief. He had for the
last ten days been bemoaning himself. While but an heir apparent he
could live his own life and take his pleasure as he liked. As owner of
Fairclose he had duties to perform--he had his tenants' welfare to look
after, there would be the bailiff to interview every morning and to go
into all sorts of petty details as to hedges and ditches, fences and
repairs, and things he cared not a jot for, interesting as they were to
his dear old father. He supposed he should have to go on the Bench and
to sit for hours listening to petty cases of theft and drunkenness,
varied only by a poaching affray at long intervals.

There would be county gatherings to attend, and he would naturally be
expected to hunt and to shoot. It had all seemed to him inexpressedly
dreary. Now all that was, if Brander's fears were realized, at an end,
even if it should not turn out to be as bad as that, the sum he would be
called upon to pay might be sufficient to cripple the estate and to
afford him a good and legitimate excuse for shutting up or letting the
house, and going away to retrench until the liabilities were all cleared
off. Of course he would have to work in earnest now, but even the
thought of that was not altogether unpleasant.

"I believe it is going to be the best thing that ever happened to me,"
he said to himself. "I know that I should never have done anything if it
hadn't been for this, and though I am not fool enough to suppose I am
ever going to turn out anything great, I am sure that after a coupl