He was not ready with his opinion of the new maid, after he had seen Fanny Mere.

"My inclination," he said, "is to trust the girl.

And yet, I hesitate to follow my inclination--and I don't know why." When Hugh's visit came to an end, he continued his journey in a northerly direction.

The property left to him by his father included a cottage, standing in its own grounds, on the Scotch shore of the Solway Firth.

The place had been neglected during the long residence of the elder Mr.Mountjoy on the Continent.