‘Yes,’ said Frank.  ‘She is an excellent good girl:’  he had said it three times before, and was not very energetic.

’Yes, and so exactly suited to me; indeed, all that I could have dreamed of.  How very well she looked this morning!  Some girls only look well at night.  I should not like that at all.’

‘You mustn’t expect her to look like that always at six o’clock a.m.,’ said Frank, laughing.  ’Young ladies only take that trouble on very particular occasions.  She wouldn’t have come down like that if my father or I had been going alone.  No, and she won’t do that for you in a couple of years’ time.’

’Oh, but she’s always nice.  I have seen her at home as much almost as you could do; and then she’s so sincerely religious.’

‘Oh, yes, of course; that is, I am sure she is,’ said Frank, looking solemn as became him.

‘She’s made to be a clergyman’s wife.’

’Well, so it seems,’said Frank.

’A married life, I’m sure, the happiest in the world—­if people are only in a position to marry,’ said Mr Oriel, gradually drawing near to the accomplishment of his design.

’Yes; quite so.  Do you know, Oriel, I never was so sleepy in my life.  What with all that fuss of Gazebee’s, and one thing and another, I could not get to bed till one o’clock; and then I couldn’t sleep.  I’ll take a snooze now, if you won’t think it uncivil.’  And then, putting his feet on the opposite seat, he settled himself comfortably to his rest.  And so Mr Oriel’s last attempt for lecturing Frank in the railway-carriage faded away and was annihilated.

By twelve o’clock Frank was with Messrs Slow & Bideawhile.  Mr Bideawhile was engaged at the moment, but he found the managing Chancery clerk to be a very chatty gentleman.  Judging from what he saw, he would have said that the work to be done at Messrs Slow & Bideawhile’s was not very heavy.

‘A singular man that Sir Louis,’ said the Chancery clerk.

‘Yes; very singular,’ said Frank.

’Excellent security; no better; and yet he will foreclose; but you see he has no power himself.  But the question is, can the trustee refuse?  Then, again, trustees are so circumscribed nowadays that they are afraid to do anything.  There has been so much said lately, Mr Gresham, that a man doesn’t know where he is, or what he is doing.  Nobody trusts anybody.  There have been such terrible things that we can’t wonder at it.  Only think of the case of those Hills!  How can any one expect that any one else will ever trust a lawyer again after that?  But that’s Mr Bideawhile’s bell.  How can one expect it?  He will see you now, I dare say, Mr Gresham.’