He was pressed for money; his dreams of wealth were vanishing away like mist wreaths; his shares he feared would never return him even a quarter of the sum he had expected to make by them; the half-yearly dividend had been unsatisfactory; his directors were irritable, the shareholders discontented. He knew he must shortly let the Hollow, in order to rid himself of farming expenses, and to provide certain funds for paying the interest of the money for which Berrie Down was already mortgaged. He had not merely lost money senselessly, but squandered it foolishly; and to a man who had for so many years of his life looked honestly after sixpences, there was something very terrible in the reflection that he had got himself into debt through unthinkingly spending sovereigns. In addition to all these causes for regret, Arthur added that peculiarity of his own temperament, which valued whatever was lost or in jeopardy far above any secure or present possession; and the feeling that the Hollow would soon to a great extent cease to be his own property, caused him to view every tree and shrub about it, every stick and thorn, with an appreciative affection as novel as it was painful. His love for wife, children, property, kindred lay latent until some chance circumstance accidentally revealed its existence to himself; and most probably the first time he ever really placed a proper value on Berrie Down was when he saw it in the dead of winter, its evergreens bright and glossy as ever; its lawn sloping away towards the west, the grand old trees tossing their branches in the keen north blast, all passing away from him and his; passing away from the descendants of those who had held the place for centuries. He meant to remain at the Hollow for the night; he had much to talk over with Ned, many arrangements to make, fifty things to see to; and so he and Cuthbert, and Mr. Croft, who had declined the hospitality of Kemms’ Park, were all to stay in the now deserted-looking rooms until the following morning, while Alick returned to town by the latest night-train from Palinsbridge. It was necessary for him, if he wished to catch this train, to start away from Berrie Down before nine o’clock; and while the young man was out in the yard impressing this fact on Ned’s comprehension, Mr. Croft came and stood beside him. It was a moonlight night, stormy but still fine. The wind blew great masses of clouds over the moon’s face, and then swept it clean and bright again. “You will have rather a rough drive over,” Mr. Croft remarked; and Alick, backing the pony into the shafts, sulkily answered, “Yes, it looks like it.” “Can Ned not harness the pony for you?” was the next question. “If he tried very hard, perhaps he might,” Alick replied. “Perhaps he will be good enough to try hard, then,” said Mr. Croft; “and perhaps you would have the kindness to walk a few yards with me down the Lane. I want to speak to you.” “To me?” repeated Alick, in surprise.