carrying out of this purpose it was necessary that the door
of Uncle Dosett's house should be unlocked, and with the object of
turning the key Sir Thomas himself called at the Admiralty. "I find
my boy is quite in earnest about this," he said to the Admiralty
clerk.

"Oh; indeed."

"I can't say I quite like it myself." Mr. Dosett could only shake his
head. "Cousins had better be cousins, and nothing more."

"And then you would probably expect him to get money?"

"Not at all," said Sir Thomas, proudly. "I have got money enough for
them both. It isn't an affair of money. To make a long story short,
I have given my consent; and, therefore, if you do not mind, I shall
be glad if you will allow Tom to call at the Crescent. Of course,
you may have your own views; but I don't suppose you can hope to do
better for the girl. Cousins do marry, you know, very often." Mr.
Dosett could only say that he could not expect to do anything for the
girl nearly so good, and that, as far as he was concerned, his nephew
Tom should be made quite welcome at Kingsbury Crescent. It was not,
he added, in his power to answer for Ayala. As to this, Sir Thomas
did not seem to have any doubts. The good things of the world, which
it was in his power to offer, were so good, that it was hardly
probable that a young lady in Ayala's position should refuse them.

"My dear," said Aunt Margaret, the next morning, speaking in her most
suasive tone, "your Cousin Tom is to be allowed to call here."

"Tom Tringle?"

"Yes, my dear. Sir Thomas has consented."

"Then he had better not," said Ayala, bristling up in hot anger.
"Uncle Tom has got nothing to do with it, either in refusing or
consenting. I won't see him."

"I think you must see him if he calls."

"But I don't want. Oh, Aunt Margaret, pray make him not come. I
don't like him a bit. We are doing so very well. Are we not, Aunt
Margaret?"

"Certainly, my dear, we are doing very well;--at least, I hope so.
But you are old enough now to understand that this is a very serious
matter."

"Of course it is serious," said Ayala, who certainly was not guilty
of the fault of making light of her future life. Those dreams of
hers, in which were contained all her hopes and all her aspirations,
were very serious to her. This was so much the case that she had
by no means thought of her Cousin Tom in a light spirit, as though
he were a matter of no moment to her. He was to her just what the
Beast must have