asking the poor dull-witted youth all sorts of questions about events
which had occurred in his enlightened period, and concerning which, of
course, Archibald was unfathomably ignorant. The Honorable Richard
Pennroyal was not the first man who has failed to see whence his greatest
danger was to be expected.




VII.


That piece of news with which Mr. Pennroyal had killed Sir Clarence was no
more than the truth. He was the betrothed husband of the beautiful
heiress, Miss Battledown; and the three counties, on the whole, approved
the match. It would consolidate two great contiguous estates, and add one
considerable fortune to another. There was a rather wide discrepancy in
ages, Pennroyal being about forty, while Miss Battledown was only in her
nineteenth year; but that mattered little so that they agreed in other
respects. Miss Battledown was generally believed to have very proper ideas
as to her duties and responsibilities as an heiress. Since poor Archibald
Malmaison lost his wits, she had received more than one offer which a
young lady who was weak-minded enough to regard only personal attractions
might have been tempted to accept; but she had needed no elder person to
counsel her to refuse them. In fact, she had at one time allowed it to be
inferred that she deprecated the idea of being married to any one; and
this demonstrated a commendable maidenly reserve; but it was neither to be
expected nor desired that she should adhere to such a resolution in the
face of good reasons for changing it. And Mr. Pennroyal was an excellent
reason. He had passed through the unsteady period of his life; he had