have?"

"A hundred a year while her father lives."

"That's not much."

"Much or little, it made no difference with me. I should never have
thought of marrying a girl for her money. It's a kind of thing that I
hate. I almost wish she was to have nothing."

"I shouldn't refuse it if I were you."

"Of course, I shan't refuse it; but what I mean is that I never thought
about it when I asked her to have me; and I shouldn't have been a bit
more likely to ask her if she had ten times as much."

"A fortune with one's wife isn't a bad thing for a poor man, Harry."

"But a poor man must be poor in more senses than one when he looks about
to get a fortune in that way."

"I suppose you won't marry just yet," said the father. "Including
everything, you would not have five hundred a year, and that would be
very close work in London."

"It's not quite decided yet, sir. As far as I am myself concerned, I
think that people are a great deal too prudent about money, I believe I
could live as a married man on a hundred a year, if I had no more; and
as for London, I don't see why London should be more expensive than any
other place. You can get exactly what you want in London, and make your
halfpence go farther there than anywhere else."

"And your sovereigns go quicker," said the rector.

"All that is wanted," said Harry, "is the will to live on your income,
and a little firmness in carrying out your plans."

The rector of Clavering, as he heard all this wisdom fall from his son's
lips, looked at Harry's expensive clothes, at the ring on his finger, at
the gold chain on his waistcoat, at the studs in his shirt, and smiled
gently. He was by no means so clever a man as his son, but he knew
something more of the world, and though not much given to general
reading, he had read his son's character. "A great deal of firmness and
of fortitude also is wanted for that kind of life," he said. "There are
men who can go through it without suffering, but I would not advise any
young man to commence it in a hurry. If I were you I should wait a year
or two. Come, let's have a walk; that is, if you can tear yourself away
from your lady-love for an hour. If there is not Saul coming up the
avenue! Take your hat, Harry, and we'll get out the other way. He only
wants to see the girls about the school, but if he catches us he'll keep
us for an hour." Then Harry asked after Mr. Saul's love-affairs. "I've
not heard one single word about it since