The next day they were at Belton Castle, and in a very few hours Clara felt that she was quite at home with her cousin.  On the second day Mrs Askerton came up and called according to an arrangement to that effect made between her and Clara.  I’ll stay away if you like it,’ Mrs Askerton had said.  But Clara had urged her to come, arguing with her that she was foolish to be thinking always of her own misfortune.  ’Of course I am always thinking of it,’ she had replied, and always thinking that other people are thinking of it.  Your cousin, Miss Belton, knows all my history, of course, But what matters?  I believe it would be better that everybody should know it.  I suppose she’s very straight-laced and prim.’She is not prim at all,’ said Clara.  ’Well, I’ll come,’ said Mrs Askerton, ’but I shall not be a bit surprised if I hear that she goes back to Norfolk the next day.’

So Mrs Askerton came, and Miss Belton did not go back to Norfolk.  Indeed, at the end of the visit, Mrs Askerton had almost taught herself to believe that William Belton had kept his secret, even from his sister.  ‘She’s a dear little woman,’ Mrs Askerton afterwards said to Clara.

‘Is she not?’

‘And so thoroughly like a lady.’

‘Yes; I think she is a lady.’

’A princess among ladies!  What a pretty little conscious way she has of asserting herself when she has an opinion and means to stick to it!  I never saw a woman who got more strength out of her weakness.  Who would dare to contradict her?’

‘But then she knows everything so well,’ said Clara.

‘And how like her brother she is!’

‘Yes there is a great family likeness.’

’And in character, too.  I’m sure you’d find, if you were to try her, that she has all his personal firmness, though she can’t show it as he does by kicking out his feet and clenching his fist.’

‘I’m glad you like her,’ said Clara.

‘I do like her very much.’

’It is so odd the way you have changed.  You used to speak of him as though he was merely a clod of a farmer, and of her as a stupid old maid.  Now, nothing is too good to say of them.’

’Exactly, my dear and if you do not understand why, you are not so clever as I take you to be.’

Life went on very pleasantly with them at Belton for two or three weeks but with this drawback as regarded Clara, that she had no means of knowing what was to be the course of her future life.  During these weeks she twice received letters from her Cousin Will, and answered both of them.  But these letters referred to matters of business which entailed no contradiction to certain details of money due to the estate before the old squire’s death, and to that vexed question of Aunt Winterfield’s legacy, which had by this time drifted into Belton’s hands, and as to which he was inclined to act in accordance with his cousin’s wishes, though he was assured by Mr Green that the legacy was as good a legacy as