“I am sure I don’t know, James; for of course, we should never give our sanction to her marriage unless we approved of her choice, and surely the Miss Penfolds would not disapprove of a choice that we approved of?”

“Well, they might, my dear.  You know how bitterly they disliked Ralph Conway, and how they resented his being at the Hall.  It is quite possible they may have had some idea of Herbert’s views about him and Mabel, and are determined that he shall not benefit through Mabel by one penny of their brother’s property; and this clause is specially designed so that in case the two young people ever should come together they may be able if not to stop it—­at any rate to stop the annuity.  That is the only interpretation I can give to this condition.”

“Very likely that is so James.  Really these women seem to get more detestable every day.”

Mr. Withers smiled at his wife’s vehemence.  “There is still another reason why we cannot take the money.  Ralph Conway has been as much defrauded as Mabel, and his mother, as you see by her letters, is determined not to sit down quietly under the wrong.  What she means to do I have not the slightest idea, nor do I think that there is the most remote probability she will ever succeed in finding the will.  Tallboys appears to have made a most thorough search of the house, and do what she will she cannot have any opportunity of searching as he has done.  Still she clearly has something on her mind.  She intends to make some attempt or other to discover the will, which, if found, will benefit Mabel equally with her son.  Therefore we cannot but regard her as our friend and ally.  Now, were we to accept the money for Mabel we should in fact be acquiescing, not only in the wrong done to her but in that done to Ralph.  We should, in fact, be going over to the enemy.  We could not take their money and even tacitly connive in her efforts to find the will.”

“I agree with you entirely, James.  It would be impossible; only I do wish you had said all this before letting me be so foolish as to say that I thought we ought to take it.”

“You didn’t say so, dear,” Mr. Withers said smiling.  “You only gave expression to the first natural thought of a mother that it would be a nice thing for Mabel.  You had given the matter no further consideration than that, and I was quite sure that as soon as you thought the matter over you would see it in the same light that I do.  But I think that before we send off our reply we should put the matter before Mabel herself.  I have no doubt whatever what her answer will be, but at the same time she ought to know of the offer which has been made to her.”

CHAPTER IX.

MR. TALLBOYS’ VISITOR.

Mr. Withers was fully justified in his conviction that there need be no doubt as to the view Mabel would take of the Miss Penfold’s offer.  The girl had hitherto been in entire ignorance both as to the will being missing, and of the interest she had in it.  She was now called in from the garden, and was much surprised when her father told her to sit down, as he and her mother wished to have a serious talk with her.