ver she ended in company with the other.

Bellfield, who was sent on to the house, found Alice and Kate
surveying the newly arrived carpet bag. "He knows 'un," said the boy
who had driven the gig, pointing to the Captain.

"It belongs to your old friend, Mr Cheesacre," said Bellfield to
Kate.

"And has he come too?" said Kate.

The Captain shrugged his shoulders, and admitted that it was hard.
"And it's not the slightest use," said he, "not the least in the
world. He never had a chance in that quarter."

"Not enough of the rocks and valleys about him, was there, Captain
Bellfield?" said Kate. But Captain Bellfield understood nothing about
the rocks and valleys, though he was regarded by certain eyes as
being both a rock and a valley himself.

In the meantime Cheesacre was telling his story. He first asked, in a
melancholy tone, whether it was really necessary that he must abandon
all his hopes. "He wasn't going to say anything against the Captain,"
he said, "if things were really fixed. He never begrudged any man his
chance."

"Things are really fixed," said Mrs Greenow.

He could, however, not keep himself from hinting that Oileymead was
a substantial home, and that Bellfield had not as much as a straw
mattress to lie upon. In answer to this Mrs Greenow told him that
there was so much more reason why some one should provide the poor
man with a mattress. "If you look at it in that light, of course it's
true," said Cheesacre. Mrs Greenow told him that she did look at it
in that light. "Then I've done about that," said Cheesacre; "and as
to the little bit of money he owes me, I must give him his time about
it, I suppose." Mrs Greenow assured him that it should be paid as
soon as possible after the nuptial benediction had been said over
them. She offered, indeed, to pay it at once if he was in distress
for it, but he answered contemptuously that he never was in distress
for money. He liked to have his own,--that was all.

After this he did not get away to his next subject quite so easily as
he wished; and it must be admitted that there was a difficulty. As he
could not have Mrs Greenow he would be content to put up with Kate
for his wife. That was his next subject. Rumours as to the old
Squire's will had no doubt reached him, and he was now willing to
take advantage of that assistance which Mrs Greenow had before
offered him in this matter. The time had come in which he ought to
marry; of that he was aware. He