had given up any such hope as that, and was telling
himself that his friend at the Manor had abandoned all idea of making
up the marriage. Three months had already elapsed since his visit.
Five months had passed since Crosbie had surrendered his claim.
Surely such a knave as Crosbie might be forgotten in five months!
If any steps could have been taken through the squire, surely three
months would have sufficed for them! It was very manifest to him
that there was no ground of hope for him at Allington, and it would
certainly be well for him to go off to Australia. He would go to
Australia, but he would thrash Cradell first for having dared to
interfere with Amelia Roper. That, generally, was the state of his
mind during the first week in April.

Then there came to him a letter from the earl which instantly
effected a great change in all his feelings; which taught him to
regard Australia as a dream, and almost put him into a good humour
with Cradell. The earl had by no means lost sight of his friend's
interests at Allington; and, moreover, those interests were now
backed by an ally who in this matter must be regarded as much more
powerful than the earl. The squire had given in his consent to the
Eames alliance.

The earl's letter was as follows:--

GUESTWICK MANOR, April, 18--.

MY DEAR JOHN,

I told you to write to me again, and you haven't done it. I
saw your mother the other day, or else you might have been
dead for anything I knew. A young man always ought to write
letters when he is told to do so.

Eames, when he had got so far, felt himself rather aggrieved by this
rebuke, knowing that he had abstained from writing to his patron
simply from an unwillingness to intrude upon him with his letters.
"By Jove, I'll write to him every week of his life, till he's sick of
me," Johnny said to himself when he found himself thus instructed as
to a young man's duties.

And now I have got to tell you a long story, and I should
like it much better if you were down here, so that I might
save myself the trouble; but you would think me ill-natured
if I were to keep you waiting. I happened to meet Mr Dale
the other day, and he said that he should be very glad if
a certain young lady would make up her mind to listen to a
certain young friend of mine. So I asked him what he meant
to do about the young lady's fortune, and he declared
himself willing to give her a hundred a yea