"No; you were not to know that there could be such a wretch as Philip Sheldon upon this earth. We will say no more of that. I kept my secret, you kept yours. Mischief unspeakable well-nigh came of all this underhand work. But heaven has been merciful to us. We have passed through the valley of the shadow of death; and if anything could make my wife dearer to me than she was when first I won her promise to be mine, it would be the sorrow of the last few months. And now I will go and shake hands with Lenoble, my wife's kinsman. He is a fine fellow, and well deserves his good fortune. Stay; one word. Did Diana know this? did she know that her lover is heir to the Haygarth estate?" "She does not know it now. She has never heard the name of Haygarth. And, between you and me, Val, it cost me a world of trouble to persuade her to say yes to Lenoble's offer, though he is a very decent match for her, even without reference to the Haygarth estate." "I am glad she knew nothing of this," said Valentine; "I am very glad." After this he again shook hands with Captain Paget, at that gentleman's request, and the Captain expressed himself much relieved by the conversation, and by his late protege's very generous behaviour. He called to his daughter and the rest presently, and they came at his summons. "Is your long talk finished, papa?" asked Diana. "And is the secret told?" demanded Charlotte of her obedient husband and slave. "Yes, dear, it is told," he answered gravely. "I hope it is a pleasant secret." "I do not think the knowledge of it will give you much pain, dearest. You have learnt to think yourself a--a kind of an heiress of late, have you not?" "Papa--Mr. Sheldon--told me that I had a claim to some money; but I have not thought much about it, except that I should give you Grote and Macaulay in dark-brown calf, with bevelled boards and red edges, like that edition you saw at the auctioneer's in Bond Street, and have talked about ever since; and a horse, perhaps; and a glass porch to our cottage." "Well, darling, the books in dark-brown calf, and the horse, and the glass porch, may all be ours in the future; but the money was only a dream--it has melted away, dear." "Is that all?" asked Charlotte. "Why, I dare say the day will come when you will be as rich as Sir Walter Scott." "In the meantime I have something to give you instead of the money." "Indeed!" "Yes; a cousin. Will that do as well, my love?" "A cousin? I shall like her very much if she is nice." "The cousin I mean is a gentleman." "But where is he to come from?" cried Charlotte, laughing. Has he dropped from the moon? The only relations I have the world are Uncle and Aunt Mercer. How can you pretend to find me a cousin?" "Do you remember telling me of your grandmother's only sister--Susan Meynell?" "Yes," said Charlotte, with a sudden blush; "I remember."