him. There was nothing he need deny himself now, and laughing as he pictured Hero's surprised delight, he said, "If she should by any chance come here before I see her, mind, not a word, Aunt Lydia. I must tell her all about it myself. What do you think she'll say to Sir Leopold and Lady Prescott?"

"Wonderful!" exclaimed Aunt Lydia. "I can't realise it, you know. Sir Leopold -Lady Prescott-not that Hero has treated you quite nicely of late my dear." I was

"Oh, never mind that now; I “Oh, more to blame than she was; it was

nothing but a little jealousy, I know that well enough."

"But who had she to be jealous of?" "Who? why, Mrs. Labouchere, and with very good cause," he added with a laugh; "why I might have her and her money to-morrow if I liked. I dare say by

this time she's ready to take odds in anything you like to name that she will be Lady Prescott. Ah, well, now I can have the girl I love."

CHAPTER XI.

"Fortune, good or bad, tries the man, they do say."

The Heir at Law.

T did not take long to spread news in

IT

Mallett, and before very long the universal theme of conversation in every house and cottage was, the "wonderful stroke o' luck which had overtook the young Despard." For once in her life Betsy allowed her curiosity to so far master her that, being in the village, she accepted Hepzibah Bunce's invitation to "step in and make a pitch," knowing that within the little shop the affair would have been pretty freely handled and dis

easily seen it if he had acted to me as he ought to have done; and really, Aunt Lydia, I don't know what right he could have fancied he had to take me away from everybody, and keep from me whose son I was."

"Nothing but his love for you kept him silent, Leo," Miss Despard said, gathering up a spirit of defence for her brother which she never would have found for herself. "When Antony adopted you, you seemed to have no claim upon any one. Your mother was dead, your father had died without acknowledging that he had married her, and Mrs. Prescott herself wrote, saying that this offer to adopt you was the greatest charity, for she did not know what otherwise would have been done with you."

"It was a charity to take me out of the
I suppose,"
"Leo said, with a bitter,

way,

sneering laugh. "The old hypocrite, I'll teach her what charity means; she shall have a taste of it now at my hands. I only fancy the Malletters, when they hear this bit of news about their wonderful Sir Stephen, it'll rather alter their tune, I fancy."

"Poor young man! What a reverse for him, after all these years too! Oh! Leo; you must try and spare him all you can, for he was so generously-minded

towards you. I'm sure the words hadn't left my lips about your not being able to marry, before he said that you should have the money, as soon as ever he was able to sell the estate."

"Sell the estate! He dare not lay his finger on a stick or stone of it. I tell you what it is, Aunt Lydia, he may think himself a precious fortunate fellow, that I choose to take his word for things.