Nothing had been said as yet about the Askertons, and Clara had resolved that their name should not first be mentioned by her.  Mrs Askerton had prophesied that Will would have some communication to make about herself, and Clara would at any rate see whether her cousin would, of his own accord, introduce the subject.  But three days passed by, and he had made no allusion to the cottage or its inhabitants.  This in itself was singular, as the Askertons were the only local friends whom Clara knew, and as Belton had become personally acquainted with Mrs Askerton.  But such was the case; and when Mr Amedroz once said something about Mrs Askerton in the presence of both Clara and Belton, they both of them shrank from the subject in a manner that made Clara understand that any conversation about the Askertons was to be avoided.  On the fourth day Clara saw Mrs Askerton, but then Will Belton’s name was not mentioned.  There was therefore, among them all, a sense of some mystery which made them uncomfortable, and which seemed to admit of no solution.  Clara was more sure than ever that her cousin had made no inquiries that he should not have made, and that he would put no information that he might have to an improper use.  But of such certainty on her part she could say nothing.

Three weeks passed by, and it seemed as though Belton’s visit were to come to an end without any further open trouble.  Now and then something was said about.  Captain Aylmer; but it was very little, and Belton made no further reference to his own feelings.  It had come to be understood that his visit was to be limited to a month; and to both him and Clara the month wore itself away slowly, neither of them having much pleasure in the society of the other.  The old squire came downstairs once for an hour or two, and spent the whole time in bitter complaints.  Everything was wrong, and everybody was ill-treating him.  Even with Will he quarrelled, or did his best to quarrel, in regard to everything about the place, though at the same time he did not cease to grumble at his visitor for going away and leaving him.  Belton bore it all so well that the grumbling and quarrelling did not lead to much; but it required all his good-humour and broad common sense to prevent serious troubles and misunderstanding.

During the period of her cousin’s visit at Belton, Clara received two letters from Captain Aylmer, who was spending the Christmas holidays with his father and mother, and on the day previous to that of her cousin’s departure there came a third.  In neither of these letters was there much said about Sir Anthony, but they were all very full of Lady Aylmer.  In the first he wrote with something of the personal enthusiasm of a lover and therefore Clara hardly felt the little drawbacks to her happiness which were contained in certain innuendoes respecting Lady Aylmer’s ideas, and Lady Aylmer’s hopes, and Lady Aylmer’s fears.  Clara was not going to marry Lady Aylmer,