“I should say no one,” repeated Mr Morion.
“And all the poor old great-grand-aunt’s efforts to put things right will after all have been in vain,” Frances resumed.
“Not quite, I hope,” said her companion eagerly. “You are forgetting that I am depending much on your discovery as a lever wherewith to persuade your father to agree to what has become almost my greatest wish, especially as—I wish I dared hope that other possibilities might tend in the same direction.” Frances looked up, perplexed.
“I don’t understand,” she said; but no explanation followed.
“I have tired and worried you enough for to-day,” said Ryder, regretfully.
“You forget the good side of it all,” said Frances, gratefully. “Betty’s happy prospects!”
He smiled with gratification.
“I hope our next talk will have no bad side to it,” he said, as they parted.
A week later saw the fulfilment of Ryder Morion’s good hopes of a successful termination to his interference on Horace’s behalf. How far this was due to the skilful diplomacy exercised, how far aided and abetted by Mr Charles Morion’s immense satisfaction at the tenor of the will, which almost nullified the disappointment at its practical inadequacy, it is not necessary to define. From henceforth the master of Fir Cottage was able to speak with confident magnanimity of the position and possessions which should in “all equity” have been his. And though as yet he had not absolutely consented to the position of life-tenant of Craig-Morion, which his kinsman urged upon him, the latter was sanguine as to his eventual success in this particular also. For, as he had prophesied, Horace’s mother had given in, and that graciously, being far too clever a woman to do a thing of the kind by half, if she did it at all.