mily's income as
falling short even of two hundred a year. Having made that disheartening
reply, he opened another music book. "You know this sonata, of course?"
he said. The next moment, the violin was under his chin and the
performance began.

While Mirabel was, to all appearance, listening with the utmost
attention, he was actually endeavoring to reconcile himself to a serious
sacrifice of his own inclinations. If he remained much longer in the
same house with Emily, the impression that she had produced on him would
be certainly strengthened--and he would be guilty of the folly of making
an offer of marriage to a woman who was as poor as himself. The one
remedy that could be trusted to preserve him from such infatuation as
this, was absence. At the end of the week, he had arranged to return to
Vale Regis for his Sunday duty; engaging to join his friends again at
Monksmoor on the Monday following. That rash promise, there could be no
further doubt about it, must not be fulfilled.

He had arrived at this resolution, when the terrible activity of Mr.
Wyvil's bow was suspended by the appearance of a third person in the
room.

Cecilia's maid was charged with a neat little three-cornered note
from her young lady, to be presented to her master. Wondering why
his daughter should write to him, Mr. Wyvil opened the note, and was
informed of Cecilia's motive in these words:

"DEAREST PAPA--I hear Mr. Mirabel is with you, and as this is a secret,
I must write. Emily has received a very strange letter this morning,
which puzzles her and alarms me. When you are quite at liberty, we shall
be so much obliged if you will tell us how Emily ought to answer it."

Mr. Wyvil stopped Mirabel, on the point of trying to escape from the
music. "A little domestic matter to attend to," he said. "But we will
finish the sonata first."

CHAPTER XL. CONSULTING.

Out of the music room, and away from his violin, the sound side of Mr.
Wyvil's character was free to assert itself. In his public and in his
private capacity, he was an eminently sensible man.

As a member of parliament, he set an example which might have been
followed with advantage by many of his colleagues. In the first place he
abstained from hastening the downfall of representative institutions by
asking questions and making speeches. In the second place, he was able
to distinguish between the duty that he owed to his party, and the
duty that he owed to his country. Whe