if you would go on with your story, Chennery,
it would compose me. I have not the
faintest idea of what led to it, but I think
you were saying something interesting on the
subject of pinafores!"

"Nonsense! " said Doctor Chennery. " I
was only telling you of the fondness between
the two children who have now grown up to
be man and wife. And I was going on to
tell you that Captain Treverton, shortly after
he settled in our neighbourhood, took to the
active practice of his profession again.
Nothing else seemed to fill up the gap that the
loss of Mrs. Trevertou had made in his life.
Having good interest with the Admiralty,
he can always get a ship when he applies
for one; and up to the present time, with
intervals on shore, he has resolutely stuck to
the sea— though he is getting, as his daughter
and his friends think, rather too old for it now.
Don't look puzzled, Phippen; I am not going
so wide of the mark as you think. These are
some of the necessary particulars that must
be stated first. And now they are comfortably
disposed of, I can get round at last to
the main part of my story— the sale of
Forthgenna Tower.— What is it now ? Do you
want to get up again?"

Yes, Mr. Phippen did want to get up again;
being of opinion that his best chance of
composing the palpitations and dispersing the
black spots, lay in trying the experiment of
a little gentle walking exercise. He was most
unwilling to occasion any trouble, but would
his worthy friend Chennery, before proceeding
with this intensely interesting story, give
him an arm, and carry the camp-stool, and
walk slowly in the direction of the schoolroom
window, so as to keep Miss Sturch
within easy hailing distance, in case it became
necessary to try the last resource of taking a
composing draught ? The vicar, whose
inexhaustible good nature was proof against
every trial that Mr. Phippen's dyspeptic
infirmities could inflict on it, complied with
all these requests, and went on with his
story, unconsciously adopting the tone and
manner of a good-humoured parent who was
doing his best to soothe the temper of a
fretful child.

"I told you," he said, "that the elder
Mr. Frankland and Captain Treverton were
near neighbours here. They had not been
long acquainted before the one found out
from the other that Porthgenna Tower was
for sale. On first hearing this, old Frankland
asked a few questions about the place,
but said not a word on the subject of
purchasing it. Soon after that, the Captain got
a ship and went to sea. During his absence,
old Frankland privately set off for Cornwall,
to look at the estate, and to find out all he
could about its advantages and defects from
the persons left in charge of the house and
lands. He said nothing when he came back,
until Captain Treverton returned from his
first cruise; and then the old gentleman
spoke out one morning, in his quiet, decided
way.

"'Treverton,' said he, 'if you will sell
Porthgenna Tower at the price at which you
bought it in, when you tried to dispose of it
by auction, write to your lawyer, and tell
him to take the title-deeds to mine, and ask
for the purchase-money.'

"Captain Treverton was naturally a little
astonished at the readiness of this offer; but
people, like myself, who knew old Frankland's
history, were not so surprised. His fortune
had been made by trade, and he was foolish
enough to be always a little ashamed of
acknowledging that one simple and creditable
fact. The truth was, that his ancestors had
been landed gentry of importance, before the
time of the Civil War, and the old gentleman's
great ambition was to sink the merchant
in the landed grandee, and to leave his
son to succeed him in the character of a
Squire of large estate and great county
influence. He was willing to devote half his
fortune to accomplish this great scheme; but
half his fortune would not buy him such an
estate as he wanted, in an important agricultural
county like ours. Rents are high, and
land is made the most of with us. An estate
as extensive as the estate of Porthgenna,
would fetch more than double the money
which Captain Treverton could venture to
ask for it, if it was situated in these parts.
Old Frankland was well aware of that fact,
and attached all possible importance to it.
Besides, there was something in the feudal
look of Porthgenna Tower, and in the right
over the mine and fisheries, which the
purchase of the estate included, that flattered
his notions of restoring the family greatness.
Here, he and his son after him, could lord
it, as he thought, on a large scale, and
direct at their sovereign will and pleasure,
the industry of hundreds of poor people,
scattered along the coast, or huddled together
in the little villages inland. This was a
tempting prospect, and it could be secured
for forty thousand pounds— which was just
ten thousand pounds less than he had
made up his mind to give, when he first
determined to metamorphose himself from a
plain merchant into a magnificent landed
gentleman. People who knew these facts
were, as I have said, not much surprised
at Mr. Frankland's readiness to purchase
Porthgenna Tower; and Captain Treverton,
it is hardly necessary to say, was not long in
clenching the bargain on his side. The estate
hanged hands; and away went old Frankland
with a tail of wiseacres from London
at his heels, to work the mine and the
isheries on new scientific principles, and to
beautify the old house from top to bottom
with bran-new mediaeval decorations, under
the direction of a gentleman who was said
to be an architect, but who looked, to my
mind, the very image of a Popish priest
n disguise. Wonderful plans and projects,