“And we had wished that your vivacious old uncle had remained at Buston when he came love-making to Marmaduke Lodge.”

“He was an old fool! and, among ourselves, always has been,” said Molly, who on the occasion thought it incumbent upon her to take the Thoroughbung rather than the Prosper side of the quarrel.

But, in truth, this renewed quarrel between the Hall and the rectory was likely to prove extremely deleterious to Harry Annesley’s interests.  For his welfare depended not solely on the fact that he was at present heir presumptive to his uncle, nor yet on the small allowance of two hundred and fifty pounds made to him by his uncle, and capable of being withdrawn at any moment, but also on the fact, supposed to be known to all the world,—­which was known to all the world before the affair in the streets with Mountjoy Scarborough,—­that Harry was his uncle’s heir.  His position had been that of eldest son, and indeed that of only child to a man of acres and squire of a parish.  He had been made to hope that this might be restored to him, and at this moment absolutely had in his pocket the check for sixty-two pounds ten which had been sent to him by his uncle’s agent in payment of the quarter’s income which had been stopped.  But he also had a farther letter, written on the next day, telling him that he was not to expect any repetition of the payment.  Under these circumstances, what should he do?

Two or three things occurred to him.  But he resolved at last to keep the check without cashing it for some weeks, and then to write to his uncle when the fury of his wrath might be supposed to have passed by, offering to restore it.  His uncle was undoubtedly a very silly man; but he was not one who could acknowledge to himself that he had done an unjust act without suffering for it.  At the present moment, while his wrath was hot, there would be no sense of contrition.  His ears would still tingle with the sound of the laughter of which he had supposed himself to have been the subject at the rectory.  But that sound in a few weeks might die away, and some feeling of the propriety of justice would come back upon the poor man’s mind.  Such was the state of things upon which Harry resolved to wait for a few weeks.

But in the mean time tidings came across from the Hall that Mr. Prosper was ill.  He had remained in the house for two or three days after Miss Thoroughbung’s visit.  This had given rise to no special remarks, because it was well known that Mr. Prosper was a man whose feelings were often too many for him.  When he was annoyed it would be long before he would get the better of the annoyance; and during such periods he would remain silent and alone.  There could be no question that Miss Thoroughbung had annoyed him most excessively.  And Matthew had been aware that it would be better that he should abstain from all questions.  He would take the daily newspaper in to his master, and ask for orders as to the daily