ufficient to provide Henry, and those who were
dependent upon him, with a respectable livelihood, yet it was nearly all
swallowed up by the payment of regular instalments upon family debts
incurred by his father. And the creditors took great credit to
themselves that they allowed of such an arrangement, instead of sweeping
off all before them, and leaving the family to starve.

The question, therefore, or, at all events, one of the questions, now
was, how far would a departure from the Hall of him, Henry, and the
other branches of the family, act upon that arrangement?

During a very few minutes' consideration, Henry, with the frank and
candid disposition which was so strong a characteristic of his
character, made up his mind to explain all this fully to Charles Holland
and his uncle.

When once he formed such a determination he was not likely to be slow in
carrying it into effect, and no sooner, then, were the whole of them
seated in the small oaken parlour than he made an explicit statement of
his circumstances.

"But," said Mr. Marchdale, when he had done, "I cannot see what right
your creditors have to complain of where you live, so long as you
perform your contract to them."

"True; but they always expected me, I knew, to remain at the Hall, and
if they chose, why, of course, at any time, they could sell off the
whole property for what it would fetch, and pay themselves as far as the
proceeds would go. At all events, I am quite certain there could be
nothing at all left for me."

"I cannot imagine," added Mr. Marchdale, "that any men could be so
unreasonable."

"It is scarcely to be borne," remarked Charles Holland, with more
impatience than he usually displayed, "that a whole family are to be put
to the necessity of leaving their home for no other reason than the
being pestered by such a neighbour as Sir Francis Varney. It makes one
impatient and angry to reflect upon such a state of things."

"And yet they are lamentably true," said Henry. "What can we do?"

"Surely there must be some sort of remedy."

"There is but one that I can imagine, and that is one we all alike
revolt from. We might kill him."

"That is out of the question."

"Of course my impression is that he bears the same name really as
myself, and that he is my ancestor, from whom was painted the portrait
on the panel."

"Have circumstances really so far pressed upon you," said Charles
Holland, "as at length to convince you that this