He was under an obligation to a London solicitor, whose wife was the sister of Mrs.Simpkins, the mother of Eustace St.Clair.

He felt that he could not very well refuse to give the young man such a chance as a clerkship afforded.

Things went on fairly satisfactorily until Mr.Simpkins conceived the idea of marrying his employer's daughter.

He reasoned, quite rightly, that Miss Tempest, being an only child, was likely to have a substantial fortune.
Mr.Tempest, unimpressed by the hyphened St.Clair, was unwilling to allow the courtship to proceed.

He sent Mr.Simpkins down to Ballymoy, and charged him with the management of such parts of the Buckley estate as were not already sold to tenants.
Mr.Simpkins, for the first time in his life, felt that he had found a position which really suited him.