in some capital "independent" bank shares of Australasia--safe as a mountain, and productive as a valley.
All this appeared very prosperous and pleasant: but we of the initiated into the secrets of character, may reasonably apprehend that Henry's little all would have been safer any where than in Dillaway's possession: and "possession," I am sorry to declare, is a word used advisedly; for Mr.John required a largish floating capital to enable him to go to the desperate lengths he did at hazard and _rouge-et-noir_; and I am afraid that if Mr.or Mrs.Clements were to receive any of those so-called Austral dividends, they would only have been taking three hundred pounds a-year out of their principal moneys in John's immaculate keeping.
Leaving then those wedded lovers to their honey-moon of joy, and shrewd Jack gloating not merely over the full success of his nefarious plan, but also over this unexpected acquisition of poor Clement's few thousands, let us return to Sir Thomas--or, to be quite accurate, let us return with him.
In high dudgeon, full of fire and fury, back rushed the knight, sore under the sense of having been made an April-fool of in July; for no one in the place whereto he went, had ever heard of a widow'd Countess of Lancing; and her ladyship's acres, if any where at all, were undoubtedly not in the North Riding.

But clever son John, meeting his indignant father on the threshold, soon made all that right by a word.
"Well, if ever! why, stupid, I said Diddlington, not Darlington." Into the accuracy of this distinction it is needless to inquire: and then the ingenuous youth went on to observe-- "But all's right as it is now; you may as well not have seen the property, and better, too, as things have turned out roughly, governor: the match is off, and you may well congratulate me.

Such an escape--I just discovered it, and was barely in time: you hadn't been gone two hours when I found it all out, through a clever devil of a lawyer, who was hired by my father's son to look into incumbrances, and keep a sharp look-out for a mutual settlement; that old harridan of a ladyship is over head and ears in debt; and, it seems, I was to have paid all straight, or _i.

e._ you, governor, ey?
As to the Yorkshire acres, the old woman had but a life interest in the mere bit that wasn't deeply mortgaged--and not a very long life either, seeing she is seventy.

So, bless your clever boy again, old governor, he's free." The knight had nothing to object: Jack's ready lie had plenty of reasons in it: and so he blessed his clever boy again.
"But I say, governor, I rather think that you've astonished us all: what on earth made you turn so soft of a sudden, and write that letter ?" "What letter?
ey?
what ?"--Sir Thomas might well inquire.
"That's a good joke, governor--you keep it up to the last, I see; what a close old file it is! What letter?
why, the letter you wrote to Maria and her lord, telling them to marry." "Marry?
ey?
what, Maria?
what--what is it all ?" The poor old man was thoroughly bewildered.
"Well done, governor--bravo! you can carry it off as cleverly as if you were an actor; do you mean to say now you didn't leave a letter behind you here upon your table, bidding Maria marry in your absence to spare your paternal feelings (kind old boy, it is, too!) and enclosing them one hundred pounds for the honey-moon ?" The mystified father made some inarticulate expression of ignorant amazement, and our stock-jobber went on: "So of course they're married and off--Mr.and Mrs.Cle----" A whirlwind of disastrous imprecations cut all short; and then in a voice choked with passion he gasped out-- "But--but are they married--are they married?
how do you know it?
can't we catch 'em first, ey?
what!" "How do I know it?
that's a good un now, father, when I had it under your hand to give the girl away myself instead of you.