Ravenshoe. By Henry Kingsley.

LORD SALTIRE AND MACKWORTH. 147
turned to the flickering fire, and Mackworth felt deep pity for him.
He held an open letter towards Mackworth, and said,"This is from Lord Saltire. He proposes to come here the
night before the funeral and go away in Lord Segur's carriage
with him after it is over. Will you kindly see after his rooms,
and so on? Here is the letter."
"I will," said Mackworth. "My dear boy, you look deadly
ill."
"I wish I were dead."
"So do all who hope for heaven," said Mackworth.
"Who would not look worn and ill with such a scene hanging
over their heads?"
"Go away, and avoid it."
"Not I. A Ravenshoe is not a coward. Besides, I want to
see him again. How cruel you have been! Why did you let
him gain my heart? I have little enough to love."
There was a long pause, - so long that a bright-eyed little
mouse ran out from the wainscot and watched. Both their eyes
were bent on the fire, and Father Mackworth listened with painful intentness for what was to come.
" He shall speak first," he thought. "How I wonder "
At last Cuthbert spoke slowly, without raising his eyes, -
"Will nothing induce you to forego your purpose?"
"How can I forego it, Cuthbert, with common honesty? I
have foregone it long enough."
"Listen now," said Cuthbert unheedingly; "'I have been reckoning up what I can afford, and I find that I can give you five
thousand pounds down for that paper, and five thousand pounds
more in bills of six, eight, and twelve months. Will that content
you? "
Father Mackworth would have given a finger to have answered
promptly "No," but he could not. The offer was so astounding, so unexpected, that he hesitated long enough to make Cuthbert look round, and say, -
" Ten thousand pounds is a large sum of money, Father."
It was, indeed; and Lord Saltire coming next week! Let us
do the man justice; he acted with a certain amount of honor.
When you have read this book to the end you will see that ten
thousand pounds was only part of what was offered to him. He
gave up it all because he would not lower himself in the eyes of
Cuthbert, who had believed in him so long.
"I paused," said- he, "from astonishment, that a gentleman
could have insulted.me by such a proposition."
" Your pause," said Cuthbert, " arose from hesitation, not from
astonishment. I saw your eyes blaze when I made you the
offer. Think of ten thousand pounds. You might appear in the