acquisitions in the British Museum, and various other exhibitions, and
went at night to the Prince of Wales's Theatre, where Sir Peter was
infinitely delighted with an admirable little comedy by Mr. Robertson,
admirably placed on the stage by Marie Wilton. The day after, when
Gordon called on him at his hotel, he cleared his throat, and thus
plunged at once into the communication he had hitherto delayed.

"Gordon, my boy, I owe you a debt, and I am now, thanks to Kenelm,
able to pay it."

Gordon gave a little start of surprise, but remained silent.

"I told your father, shortly after Kenelm was born, that I meant to
give up my London house, and lay by L1000 a year for you, in
compensation for your chance of succeeding to Exmundham should I have
died childless. Well, your father did not seem to think much of that
promise, and went to law with me about certain unquestionable rights
of mine. How so clever a man could have made such a mistake would
puzzle me, if I did not remember that he had a quarrelsome temper.
Temper is a thing that often dominates cleverness,--an uncontrollable
thing; and allowances must be made for it. Not being of a quarrelsome
temper myself (the Chillinglys are a placid race), I did not make the
allowance for your father's differing, and (for a Chillingly)
abnormal, constitution. The language and the tone of his letter
respecting it nettled me. I did not see why, thus treated, I should
pinch myself to lay by a thousand a year. Facilities for buying a
property most desirable for the possessor of Exmundham presented
themselves. I bought it with borrowed money, and though I gave up the
house in London, I did not lay by the thousand a year."