“No,” said the doctor; “I should say not; and that’s the reason why you want to ring the changes upon Charles Holland’s name.  Do you see the joke, admiral?”

“I can’t say I do—­where is it?  It’s all very well to talk of jokes, but if I was like Charles, going to be married, I shouldn’t be in any joking humour, I can tell you, but quite the reverse; and as for you and your picture, if you want it, doctor, just run after Varney yourself for it; or, stay—­I have a better idea than that—­get your wife to go and ask him for it, and if she makes half such a clamour about his ears that she did about ours, he will give it her in a minute, to get rid of her.”

“My wife!—­you don’t mean to say she has been here?”

“Yes, but she has though.  And now, doctor, I can tell you I have seen a good deal of service in all parts of the world, and, of course, picked up a little experience; and, if I were you, some of these days, when Mrs. Chillingworth ain’t very well, I’d give her a composing draught that would make her quiet enough.”

“Ah! that’s not my style of practice, admiral; but I am sorry to hear that Mrs. Chillingworth has annoyed you so much.”

“Pho, pho, man!—­pho, pho! do you think she could annoy me?  Why, I have encountered storms and squalls in all latitudes, and it isn’t a woman’s tongue now that can do anything of an annoying character, I can tell you; far from it—­very far from it; so don’t distress yourself upon that head.  But come, doctor, we are going to have the wedding the day after to-morrow.”

“No, no,” said Flora; “the week after next, you mean,”

“Is it the week after next?  I’ll be hanged if I didn’t think it was the day after to-morrow; but of course you know best, as you have settled it all among you.  I have nothing to do with it.”

“Of course, I shall, with great pleasure,” returned the doctor, “be present on the interesting occasion; but do you intend taking possession of Bannerworth Hall again?”

“No, certainly not,” said Henry; “we propose going to the Dearbrook estate, and there remaining for a time to see how we all like it.  We may, perchance, enjoy it very much, for I have heard it spoken of as an attractive little property enough, and one that any one might fancy, after being resident a short time upon it.”

“Well,” said the admiral; “that is, I believe, settled among us, but I am sure we sha’n’t like it, on account of the want of the sea.  Why, I tell you, I have not seen a ship myself for this eighteen months; there’s a state of things, you see, that won’t do to last, because one would get dry-mouldy:  it’s a shocking thing to see nothing but land, land, wherever you go.”

From the preceding conversation may be gathered what were the designs of the Bannerworth family, and what progress had been made in carrying them out.  From the moment they had discovered the title-deeds of the Dearbrook property, they had ceased to care about the large sum of money which Marmaduke Bannerworth had been supposed to have hidden in some portion of Bannerworth Hall.