a father himself, he--"

"Father himself!" burst forth the squire. "Father to a swarm of sallow-
faced Popish tadpoles! No foreign frogs shall hop about my grave in
Hazeldean churchyard. No, no. But you need not look so reproachful,--
I 'm not going to disinherit Frank."

"Of course not," said Randal, with a bitter curve in the lip that
rebelled against the joyous smile which he sought to impose on it.

"No; I shall leave him the life-interest in the greater part of the
property; but if he marry a foreigner, her children will not succeed,--
you will stand after him in that case. But--now don't interrupt me--but
Frank looks as if he would live longer than you, so small thanks to me
for my good intentions, you may say. I mean to do more for you than a
mere barren place in the entail. What do you say to marrying?"

"Just as you please," said Randal, meekly.

"Good. There's Miss Sticktorights disengaged,--great heiress. Her lands
run onto Rood. At one time I thought of her for that graceless puppy of
mine. But I can manage more easily to make up the match for you.
There's a mortgage on the property; old Sticktorights would be very glad
to pay it off. I 'll pay it out of the Hazeldean estate, and give up the
Right of Way into the bargain. You understand?

"So come down as soon as you can, and court the young lady yourself."

Randal expressed his thanks with much grateful eloquence; and he then
delicately insinuated, that if the squire ever did mean to bestow upon