residence in his own house.

It soon became known that the new-comer would not add much to the
gaiety of the place. The only people whom he knew in Dillsborough
were his own tenants, Mr. Runciman and Mr. Masters, and the
attorney's eldest daughter. During those months which he had spent
with Lady Ushant at Bragton, Mary had been living there, then a
child of twelve years old; and, as a child, had become his fast
friend. With his aunt he had, continually corresponded, and partly
at her instigation, and partly from feelings of his own, he had at
once gone to the attorney's house. This was now two years since,
and he had found in his old playmate a beautiful young woman, in
his opinion very unlike the people with whom she lived. For the
first twelvemonths he saw her occasionally,--though not indeed very
often. Once or twice he had drunk tea at the attorney's house, on
which occasions the drawing-room upstairs had been almost as grand
as it was uncomfortable. Then the attentions of Larry Twentyman
began to make themselves visible, infinitely to Reginald Morton's
disgust. Up to that time he had no idea of falling in love with the
girl himself. Since he had begun to think on such subjects at all
he had made up his mind that he would not marry. He was almost the
more proud of his birth by his father's side, because he had been
made to hear so much of his mother's low position. He had told
himself a hundred times that under no circumstances could he marry
any other than a lady of good birth. But his own fortune was small,
and he knew himself well enough to be sure that he would not marry
for money. He was now nearly forty years of age and had never yet
been thrown into the society of any one that had attracted him. He
was sure that he would not marry. And yet when he saw that Mr.
Twentyman was made much of and flattered by the whole Masters