constantly; because he knew that at their father's death his fortune
would be divided between them. Grace was, therefore, an heiress in
perspective. The prospect was agreeable, but he foresaw that it would
be put forward as an excuse for fixing the sum of marriage settlements
as low as possible. It would, however, be difficult for Brookes to
settle less on his daughter than he, Berkins, was willing to settle on
his wife; so partly in the hopes of forcing Mr. Brookes, and partly
because of the pleasure it gave him to speak of himself, he continued
talking of his position and possessions.

"In dealing with me," he said, "you are dealing, as you know, Mr.
Brookes, with a man of means, a man who can afford to do the thing
properly; you will not misunderstand me--you remember you told me that
you had great difficulty in keeping the little folk who live here out
of your house."

"The neighbourhood has never been the same since they put up that row
of villas. A lot of indigent fortune-hunters, they know my girls will
have large fortunes at my death, so they come sneaking round the place
like so many wolves."

"I can readily sympathise with you; one doesn't make money to keep
idle young fellows in the luxuries of life."

"That is what I say."

"But you aren't sufficiently firm, Mr. Brookes; had you been brought
up in the hard school that I was you would be more firm; firmness is
everything. You married early, I couldn't afford to do that. At
sixteen I had to shift for myself. I was three years a clerk at two