all will be arranged, I trust? Brown says you have long wished to
take the mills; I shall be most happy to have you for a tenant."

"My lord, as I told your agent, it is impossible. We will say no more
about it."

John crossed over to his wife with a cheerful air. She sat looking
grave and sad.

Lord Luxmore had the reputation of being a keen-witted, diplomatic
personage; undoubtedly he had, or could assume, that winning charm of
manner which had descended in perfection to his daughter. Both
qualities it pleased him to exercise now. He rose, addressing with
kindly frankness the husband and wife.

"If I may ask--being a most sincere well-wisher of yours, and a sort of
connection of Mrs. Halifax's, too--why is it impossible?"

"I have no wish to disguise the reason: it is because I have no
capital."

Lord Luxmore looked surprised. "Surely--excuse me, but I had the
honour of being well acquainted with the late Mr. March--surely, your
wife's fortune--"

Ursula rose, in her old impetuous way--"His wife's fortune! (John, let
me say it!--I will, I must!)--of his wife's fortune, Lord Luxmore, he
has never received one farthing. Richard Brithwood keeps it back; and
my husband would work day and night for me and our children rather than
go to law."

"Oh! on principle, I suppose? I have heard of such opinions," said the
earl, with the slightest perceptible sneer. "And you agree with him?"

"I do, heartily. I would rather we lived poor all our days than that
he should wear his life out, trouble his spirit, perhaps even soil his
conscience, by squabbling with a bad man over money matters."

It was good to see Ursula as she spoke; good to see the look that
husband and his wife interchanged--husband and wife, different in many
points, yet so blessedly, so safely ONE! Then John said, in his quiet
way,

"Love, perhaps another subject than our own affairs would be more
interesting to Lord Luxmore."

"Not at all--not at all!" And the earl was evidently puzzled and
annoyed. "Such extraordinary conduct," he muttered: "so
very--ahem!--unwise. If the matter were known--caught up by those
newspapers--I must really have a little conversation with Brithwood."

The conversation paused, and John changed it entirely by making some
remarks on the present minister, Mr. Perceval.

"I liked his last speech much. He seems a clear-headed, honest man,
for all his dogged opposition to the Bill."

"He will never oppose