uld Richard turn out well, and the young
people take a liking for each other, no match could be more
satisfactory. What I want is that she should take no girlish fancy for
him, at present."

"So be it, then," the squire said. "I think, you know, that we are a
couple of old fools, to be troubling ourselves about Aggie's future, at
present. Still, in a matter which concerns us both so nearly, we cannot
be too careful. If we had a woman with us, we could safely leave the
matter in her hands; as it is, we must blunder on, as best we may."

And so it was settled, and a week later, Richard Horton received an
official letter from the admiralty, ordering him to proceed at once to
Portsmouth to join the Thetis, to which he was appointed as fourth
lieutenant. The order gave Richard extreme satisfaction. He was
beginning to find his life desperately dull, and he was heartily sick
of playing the attentive nephew. He was well content with the progress
he had made; nothing had gone wrong since he returned, his uncle had
clearly taken him back into his favour, and he had no doubt that Aggie
quite appreciated the pains he had bestowed to gain her liking.

He detested the squire's companion, for he felt that the latter
disliked and distrusted him, and that his projects would meet with a
warm opposition on his part. Still, with the squire and Aggie herself
on his side, he did not fear the result. As to James Walsham, whom he
had come home prepared to regard as a possible rival, from his early
intimacy with the child, and the fact that his mother was her
governess, he now regarded him with contempt, mingled with a revengeful
determination to pay off the old score, should a chance ever present
itself.

He therefore started next day in high spirits, assuming, however, a
great reluctance to tear himself away. A few days later a letter came
from him, saying that he hoped that he should be able to come back,
sometimes, for a day or two, as the Thetis was at present to be
attached to the Channel squadron, and it was not expected that she
would, for some time, proceed on foreign service.

Early in October, James Walsham was to go up to London, to commence his
medical course. A week before he was to start, Mr. Wilks went down in
the morning, intending to insist on his returning with him to the Hall.
As he went down towards Sidmouth, the old soldier noticed how strongly
the wind was blowing, the trees were swaying and thrashing in the wind,