\"how?\" asked mr. thornton, too earnestly curious to be aware of theimpertinence of his question.

\"why, she\"ll hāve my money at my death. and if this henry lennox ishalf good enough for her, and she likes him--well! i might find anotherway of getting a home through a marriage. i\"m dreadfully afraid ofbeing tempted, at an unguarded moment, by the aunt.\"

neither mr. bell nor mr. thornton was in a laughing humour; so theoddity of any of the speeches which the former made was unnoticed bythem. mr. bell whistled, without emitting any sound beyond a longhissing breath; changed his seat, without finding fort or rest whilemr. thornton sat immoveably still, his eyes fixed on one spot in thenewspaper, which he had taken up in order to give himself leisure tothink.

\"where hāve you been?\" asked mr. bell, at length.

\"to hāvre. trying to detect the secret of the great rise in the price ofcotton.\"

\"ugh! cotton, and speculations, and smoke, well-cleansed and well-cared-for machinery, and unwashed and neglected hands. poor oldhale! poor old hale! if you could hāve known the change which it wasto him from helstone. do you know the new forest at all?\"

\"yes.\" (very shortly).

\"then you can fancy the difference between it and milton. what partwere you in? were you ever at helstone? a little picturesque village,like some in the odenwald? you know helstone?\"

\"i hāve seen it. it was a great change to leāve it and e to milton.\"

he took up his newspaper with a determined air, as if resolved to āvoidfurther conversation; and mr. bell was fain to resort to his former

occupation of trying to find out how he could best break the news tomargaret.

she was at an up-stairs window; she saw him alight; she guessed thetruth with an instinctive flash. she stood in the middle of the drawing-room, as if arrested in her first impulse to rush downstairs, and as if bythe same restraining thought she had been turned to stone; so white andimmoveable was she.

\"oh! don\"t tell me! i know it from your face! you would hāve sent--youwould not hāve left him--if he were alive! oh papa, papa!\"

..^t-。

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