366
WYLJJER'S HAJVD.
death of Mark — no; it could hardly be that — decency
had not yet quite taken leave of the earth; and stupid as
the Vicar was, he would hardly announce the death of his
brother to a Christian gentleman in a fashion so outra-
geous. Had Lord Chelford been invoked, and answered
satisfactorily? Or Dorcas — or had Lake, the diabolical
sneak, interposed with his long purse, and a plausible hy-
pocrisy of kindness, to spoil Larkin's plans? All these
fanciful queries flitted through his brain as the Vicar's
hands shook both his.
After a while, Dolly assisting, and sometimes both talk-
ing together, the story was told, Rachel blessed and pan-
egyrised, and the attorney's congratulations challenged and
yielded once more. But there was something not alto-
gether joyous in Jos Larkin's countenance, which struck
the Vicar, and he said —
"You don't see any objection?" and paused.
"Objection? Why, objection, my dear sir, is a strong
word; but I fear I do see a difficulty — in fact, several
difficulties. Perhaps you would take a little turn on the
green — I must call for a moment at the reading-room —
and I'll explain. You'll forgive me, I hope, Mrs. Wylder,"
he added, with a playful condescension, "for running
away with your husband, but only for a few minutes —
ha, ha!"
The shadow was upon Jos Larkin's face, and he was
plainly meditating a little uncomfortably, as they ap-
proached the quiet green of Gylingden.
"The offer," said the attorney, beginning rather ab-
ruptly, "is no doubt a handsome offer at the first glance,
and it may be well meant. But the fact is, my dear Mr.
Wylder, six hundred pounds would leave little more than
a hundred remaining after Burlington and Smith have had
their costs. You have no idea of the expense and trouble
of title, and the inevitable costliness, my dear sir, of all