bsence of such joint-stock
fund is always felt when a small party is thrown together without
such assistance. Some bond is necessary on these occasions, and no
other bond is so easy or so pleasant. Now, when the Captain found
himself alone for a quarter of an hour with Alice, he had plenty of
subjects for small-talk. "Yes, indeed. Old Cheesacre, in spite of his
absurdities, is not a bad sort of fellow at bottom;--awfully fond of
his money, you know, Miss Vavasor, and always boasting about it."
"That's not pleasant," said Alice. "No, the most unpleasant thing in
the world. There's nothing I hate so much, Miss Vavasor, as that kind
of talking. My idea is this,--when a man has lots of money, let him
make the best use he can of it, and say nothing about it. Nobody ever
heard me talking about my money." He knew that Alice knew that he was
a pauper; but, nevertheless, he had the satisfaction of speaking of
himself as though he were not a pauper.

In this way the afternoon went very pleasantly. For an hour before
dinner Captain Bellfield was had into the drawing-room and was
talked to by his widow on matters of business; but he had of course
known that this was necessary. She scolded him soundly about those
sheriff's officers. Why had he not told her? "As long as there's
anything kept back, I won't have you," said she. "I won't become your
wife till I'm quite sure there's not a penny owing that is not shown
in the list." Then I think he did tell her all,--or nearly all. When
all was counted it was not so very much. Three or four hundred pounds
would make him a new man, and what was such a sum as that to his
wealthy widow! Indeed, for a woman wanting a husband of that sort,
Captain Bellfield was a safer venture than would be a man of a higher
standing among his creditors. It is true Bellfield might have been a
forger, or a thief, or a returned convict,--but then his debts could
not be large. Let him have done his best, he could not have obtained
credit for a thousand pounds; whereas, no one could tell the
liabilities of a gentleman of high standing. Burgo Fitzgerald was a
gentleman of high standing, and his creditors would have swallowed up
every shilling that Mrs Greenow possessed; but with Captain Bellfield
she was comparatively safe.

Upon the whole I think that she was lucky in her choice; or, perhaps,
I might more truly say, that she had chosen with prudence. He was no
forger, or thief--in the ordinary sense of the word;