“Twenty Thousand Pounds!” ejaculated Robin, amazed—­“Surely my uncle was never so rich—!”

“He was a saving man and a careful one,” said Mr. Bayliss, calmly,—­“You may take it for granted, Mr. Clifford, that his money was made through the course of his long life, in a thoroughly honest and straightforward manner!”

“Oh—­that, of course!—­but—­Twenty Thousand Pounds!”

“It is a nice little fortune,” said Mr. Bayliss—­“and you come into it at a time of life when you will be able to make good use of it.  Especially if you should be inclined to marry—­”

His eyes twinkled meaningly as they glanced from Clifford’s face to that of Innocent—­the young man’s expression was absorbed and earnest, but the girl looked lost and far away in a dream of her own.

“I shall not marry,” said Robin, slowly—­“I shall use the money entirely for the good of the farm and the work-people—­”

“Then, if you do not marry, you allow the tradition of heritage to lapse?” suggested Mr. Bayliss.

“It has lapsed already,” he replied—­“I am not a real descendant of the Jocelyns—­”

“By the mother’s side you are,” said Mr. Bayliss—­“and your mother being dead, it is open to you to take the name of Jocelyn by law, and continue the lineage.  It would be entirely fair and reasonable.”

Robin made no answer.  Mr. Bayliss settled his glasses more firmly on his nose, and went on with his documents.

“Mr. Jocelyn speaks in his Last Will and Testament of the ’great love’ he entertained for his adopted child, known as ’Innocent’—­ and he gives to her all that is contained in the small oak chest in the best parlour—­this is the best parlour, I presume?”—­ looking round—­“Can you point out the oak chest mentioned?”

Innocent rose, and moved to a corner, where she lifted out of a recess a small quaintly made oaken casket, brass-bound, with a heavy lock.

Mr. Bayliss looked at it with a certain amount of curiosity.

“The key?” he suggested—­“I believe the late Mr. Jocelyn always wore it on his watch-chain.”

Robin got up and went to the mantelpiece.

“Here is my uncle’s watch and chain,” he said, in a hushed voice—­ “The watch has stopped.  I do not intend that it shall ever go again—­I shall keep it put by with the precious treasures of the house.”

Mr. Bayliss made no remark on this utterance, which to him was one of mere sentiment—­and taking the watch and chain in his hand, detached therefrom a small key.  With this he opened the oak casket—­and looked carefully inside.  Taking out a sealed packet, he handed it to Innocent.

“This is for you,” he said—­“and this also”—­here he lifted from the bottom of the casket a flat jewel-case of antique leather embossed in gold.

“This,” he continued, “Mr. Jocelyn explained to me, is a necklet of pearls—­traditionally believed to have been given by the founder of the house, Amadis de Jocelin, to his wife on their wedding-day.  It has been worn by every bride of the house since.  I hope—­yes—­I very much hope—­it will be worn by the young lady who now inherits it.”