“Not a word,—­not even that he was coming.  But I saw him as he left the chambers, and he had on a bright hat and a new coat.”

“And he thought that those could move me.”

“I have not known that he has wanted to move you.  You asked me to guess, and I have guessed right, it seems.”

“Yes; you have guessed right.”

“And why did he come?”

“Only to ask me to be his wife.”

“And what did you say to him, Dolly?”

“What did I say to the Devil?” She still held him by the hand, and now she laughed lightly as she looked into his face.  “Cannot you guess what I said to him?”

“I am sorry for it;—­that’s all.”

“Sorry for it?  Oh, papa, do not say that you are sorry.  Do you want to lose me?”

“I do not want to think that for my own selfish purposes I have retained you.  So he has asked you?”

“Yes; he has asked me.”

“And you have answered him positively?”

“Most positively.”

“And for my sake?”

“No, papa; I have not said that.  I was joking when I asked whether you wished to lose me.  Of course you do not want to lose me.”  Then she wound her arm round him, and put up her face to be kissed.  “But now come and dress yourself, as you call it.  The dinner is late.  We will talk about it again after dinner.”

But immediately after dinner the conversation went away to Mr. Scarborough and the Scarborough matters.  “I am to see Augustus, and he is to tell me something about Mountjoy and his affairs.  They say that Mountjoy is now in Paris.  The money can be given to them now, if he will consent and will sign the deed releasing the property.  But the men have not all as yet agreed to accept the simple sums which they advanced.  That fellow Hart stands out, and says that he would sooner lose it all.”

“Then he will lose it all,” said Dolly.

“But the squire will consent to pay nothing unless they all agree.  Augustus is talking about his excessive generosity.”

“It is generous on his part,” said Dolly.

“He sees his own advantage, though I cannot quite understand where.  He tells Tyrrwhit that as there is so great an increase to the property he is willing, for the sake of the good name of the family, to pay all that has been in truth advanced; but he is most anxious to do it now, while his father is alive.  I think he fears that there will be lawsuits, and that they may succeed.  I doubt whether he thanks his father.”

“But why should his father lie for his sake, since they are on such bad terms?”

“Because his father was on worse terms with Mountjoy when he told the lie.  That is what I think Augustus thinks.  But his father told no lie at that time, and cannot now go back to falsehood.  My belief is that if he were confident that such is the fact he would not surrender a shilling to pay these men their moneys.  He may stop a lawsuit, which is like enough, though they could only lose it.  And if Mountjoy should turn out to be the heir, which is impossible, he will be able to turn round and say that by his efforts he had saved so much of the property.”