project which he had hoped to have
seen received with so much delight; but nothing was said to him which
tended to make him alter his purpose.

"Do you not like her?" he asked his father, almost piteously.

"Yes, yes; I do like her, we all like her, very much indeed,
Herbert."

"Then why--"

"You are so young, my boy, and she is so very young, and--"

"And what?"

"Why, Herbert, it is not always practicable for the son even of a man
of property to marry so early in life as this. She has nothing, you
know."

"No," said the young man, proudly; "I never thought of looking for
money."

"But in your position it is so essential if a young man wishes to
marry."

Herbert had always regarded his father as the most liberal man
breathing,--as open-hearted and open-handed almost to a fault. To
him, his only son, he had ever been so, refusing him nothing, and
latterly allowing him to do almost as he would with the management
of the estate. He could not understand that this liberality should
be turned to parsimony on such an occasion as that of his son's
marriage.

"You think then, sir, that I ought not to marry Lady Clara?" said
Herbert very bitterly.

"I like her excessively," said Sir Thomas. "I think she is a sweet
girl, a very sweet girl, all that I or your mother could desire to
see in your wife; but--"

"But she is not rich."

"Do not speak to me in that tone, my boy," said Sir Thomas, with an
expression that would have moved his enemy to pity, let alone his
son. His son did pity him, and ceased to wear the angry expression of
face which had so wounded his father.

"But, father, I do not understand you," he said. "Is there any real
objection why I should not marry? I am more than twenty-two, and you,
I think, married earlier than that."

In answer to this Sir Thomas only sighed meekly and piteously.

"If you mean to say," continued the son, "that it will be
inconvenient to you to make me any allowance--"

"No, no, no; you are of course entitled to what you want, and as long
as I can give it, you shall have it."

"As long as you can give it, father!"

"As long as it is in my power, I mean. What can I want of anything
but for you--for you and them?"

After this Herbert sat silent for a while, leaning on his arm. He
knew that there existed some mischief, but he could not fathom
it. Had he been prudent, he would have felt that there was some
impediment to his love; some evil which it behoved him to f