His daughter--to what matches might she not look forward?
Even an alliance with the blood-royal was not beyond the sphere of his hopes.

His son was already a general--and he himself whatever ambition could dream of in its wildest visions.
In this mood, if any one endeavoured to bring Sir Arthur down to the regions of common life, his replies were in the vein of Ancient Pistol-- A fico for the world, and worldlings base I speak of Africa and golden joys! The reader may conceive the amazement of Miss Wardour, when, instead of undergoing an investigation concerning the addresses of Lovel, as she had expected from the long conference of her father with Mr.Oldbuck, upon the morning of the fated day when the treasure was discovered, the conversation of Sir Arthur announced an imagination heated with the hopes of possessing the most unbounded wealth.

But she was seriously alarmed when Dousterswivel was sent for to the Castle, and was closeted with her father--his mishap condoled with--his part taken, and his loss compensated.

All the suspicions which she had long entertained respecting this man became strengthened, by observing his pains to keep up the golden dreams of her father, and to secure for himself, under various pretexts, as much as possible out of the windfall which had so strangely fallen to Sir Arthur's share.
Other evil symptoms began to appear, following close on each other.
Letters arrived every post, which Sir Arthur, as soon as he had looked at the directions, flung into the fire without taking the trouble to open them.

Miss Wardour could not help suspecting that these epistles, the contents of which seemed to be known to her father by a sort of intuition, came from pressing creditors.