By twelve o’clock on that day Mr Stovey had been brought into the house, and had resigned the land.  It had been let to Mr William Belton at an increased rental a rental increased by nearly forty pounds per annum and that gentleman had already made many of his arrangements for entering upon his tenancy.  The twenty pounds had already been paid to Stovey, and the transaction was complete.  Mr Amedroz sat in his chair bewildered, dismayed and, as he himself declared shocked, quite shocked, at the precipitancy of the young man.  It might be for the best.  He didn’t know.  He didn’t feel at all sure.  But such hurrying in such a matter was, under all the circumstances of the family, to say the least of it, very indelicate.  He was angry with himself for having yielded, and angry with Clara for having allowed him to do so.  ’It doesn’t signify much,’ he said, at last.  ’Of course he’ll have it all to himself before long.’

’But, papa, it really seems to be a much better arrangement for you.  You’ll get more money’

‘Money is not everything, my dear.’

’But you’d sooner have Mr Belton, our own cousin, about the place, than Mr Stovey.’

’I don’t know.  We shall see.  The thing is done now, and there is no use in complaining.  I must say he hasn’t shown a great deal of delicacy.’

On that afternoon Belton asked Clara to go out with him, and walk round the place.  He had been again about the grounds, and had made plans, and counted up capabilities, and calculated his profit and losses.  ’If you don’t dislike scrambling about,’ said he, ’I’ll show you everything that I intend to do.’

‘But I can’t have any changes made, Mr Belton,’ said Mr Amedroz, with some affectation of dignity in his manner.  ’I won’t have the fences moved, or anything of that kind.’

’Nothing shall be done, sir, that you don’t approve.  I’ll just manage it all as if I was acting as your own bailiff.’  ‘Son,’ he was going to say, but he remembered the fate of his cousin Charles just in time to prevent the use of the painful word.

‘I don’t want to have anything done,’ said Mr Amedroz.

’Then nothing shall be done.  We’ll just mend a fence or two, to keep in the cattle, and leave other things as they are.  But perhaps Clara will walk out with me all the same.’

Clara was quite ready to walk out, and had already tied on her hat and taken her parasol.

‘Your father is a little nervous,’ said he, as soon as they were beyond hearing of the house.

‘Can you wonder at it, when you remember all that he has suffered.’

’I don’t wonder at it in the least; and I don’t wonder at his disliking me either.’

‘I don’t think he dislikes you, Mr Belton.’

’Oh, but he does.  Of course he does.  I’m the heir to the place instead of you.  It is natural that he should dislike me.  But I’ll live it down.  You see if I don’t.  I’ll make him so fond of me, he’ll always want to have me here.  I don’t mind a little dislike to begin with.’