et the widow slip through your fingers," he said to Frank,
as they sat together at the table.

"I told you Lord Fawn was to be the lucky man," said Frank.

"I know you did. I hadn't seen it. I can only say I wish it had been
the other way."

"Why so? Fawn isn't a bad fellow."

"No;--not exactly a bad fellow. He isn't, you know, what I call a
good fellow. In the first place, he is marrying her altogether for
her money."

"Which is just what you advised me to do."

"I thought you really liked her. And then Fawn will be always afraid
of her,--and won't be in the least afraid of us. We shall have to
fight him, and he won't fight her. He's a cantankerous fellow,--is
Fawn,--when he's not afraid of his adversary."

"But why should there be any fighting?"

Eustace paused a minute, and rubbed his face and considered the
matter before he answered. "She is troublesome, you know," he said.

"What; Lizzie?"

"Yes;--and I begin to be afraid she'll give us as much as we know how
to do. I was with Camperdown to-day. I'm blessed if she hasn't begun
to cut down a whole side of a forest at Portray. She has no more
right to touch the timber, except for repairs about the place, than
you have."

"And if she lives for fifty years," asked Greystock, "is none to be
cut?"

"Yes;--by consent. Of course the regular cutting for the year is
done, year by year. That's as regular as the rents, and the produce
is sold by the acre. But she is marking the old oaks. What the deuce
can she want money for?"

"Fawn will put all that right."

"He'll have to do it," said Eustace. "Since she has been down with
the old Lady Fawn, she has written a note to Camperdown,--after
leaving all his letters unanswered for the last twelvemonth,--to tell
him that Lord Fawn is to have nothing to do with her property, and
that certain people, called Mowbray and Mopus, are her lawyers.
Camperdown is in an awful way about it."

"Lord Fawn will put it all right," said Frank.

"Camperdown is afraid that he won't. They've met twice since the
engagement was made, and Camperdown says that, at the last meeting,
Fawn gave himself airs, or was, at any rate, unpleasant. There were
words about those diamonds."

"You don't mean to say that Lord Fawn wants to keep your brother's
family jewels?"

"Camperdown didn't say that exactly;--but Fawn made no offer of
giving them up. I wasn't there, and only heard what Camperdown told
me. Camperdown thinks he's afraid of he