Lord Scroope would not admit the importance of the money, but was quite willing to acknowledge that were his heir to make Sophia Mellerby the future Lady Scroope he would be content.  But he could not interfere.  He did not think it wise to speak to young men on such a subject.  He thought that by doing so a young man might be rather diverted from than attracted to the object in view.  Nor would he press his wishes upon his nephew as to next year.  “Were I to ask it,” he said, “and were he to refuse me, I should be hurt.  I am bound therefore to ask nothing that is unreasonable.”  Lady Scroope did not quite agree with her husband in this.  She thought that as every thing was to be done for the young man; as money almost without stint was to be placed at his command; as hunting, parliament, and a house in London were offered to him;—­as the treatment due to a dear and only son was shown to him, he ought to give something in return; but she herself, could say no more than she had said, and she knew already that in those few matters in which her husband had a decided will, he was not to be turned from it.

It was arranged, therefore, that Fred Neville should join his regiment at Limerick in October, and that he should come home to Scroope for a fortnight or three weeks at Christmas.  Sophia Mellerby was to be Lady Scroope’s guest at that time, and at last it was decided that Mrs. Neville, who had never been seen by the Earl, should be asked to come and bring with her her younger son, John Neville, who had been successful in obtaining a commission in the Engineers.  Other guests should be invited, and an attempt should be made to remove the mantle of gloom from Scroope Manor,—­with the sole object of ingratiating the heir.

Early in October Fred went to Limerick, and from thence with a detached troop of his regiment he was sent to the cavalry barracks at Ennis, the assize town of the neighbouring County Clare.  This was at first held to be a misfortune by him, as Limerick is in all respects a better town than Ennis, and in County Limerick the hunting is far from being bad, whereas Clare is hardly a country for a Nimrod.  But a young man, with money at command, need not regard distances; and the Limerick balls and the Limerick coverts were found to be equally within reach.  From Ennis also he could attend some of the Galway meets,—­and then with no other superior than a captain hardly older than himself to interfere with his movements, he could indulge in that wild district the spirit of adventure which was strong within him.  When young men are anxious to indulge the spirit of adventure, they generally do so by falling in love with young women of whom their fathers and mothers would not approve.  In these days a spirit of adventure hardly goes further than this, unless it take a young man to a German gambling table.