“This,” he said, as he laid it on the table and turned over the leaves, “is the last year’s edition of ‘Burke’s Landed Gentry of Great Britain and Ireland.’” “Well?” carelessly inquired Ran. “And this,” continued the lawyer, as he paused at an open page, “is the genealogy of the Hays, of Haymore.” “Well?” again inquired Ran. “I want you to look at it with me. I don’t wish to bore you to go over the whole history, with its marriages, births and deaths, but only to notice this fact that runs through the whole, from your first known ancestor, Arthur Hei, who married Edda, a daughter of Seebold, Earl of Northumberland, down to your grandfather, the late squire, who married Gentil, daughter of Pharoah Cooper, of Esling. Moor, Yorkshire.” “She was a gypsy, and the child of a gypsy,” said Ran. “Yes; still she is set down here as the daughter of a certain somebody. All your ‘forebyes’ have married the daughters of certain somebodies, from dukes down to gypsies.” “Well, but what does all this talk tend to?” demanded Ran. “To this: It is too late for your name as Squire of Haymore to appear in this year’s edition of the ‘Landed Gentry’; the volume is probably already issued. But before long the _Herald College_ will be getting up next year’s edition, and you will receive letters or messengers inquiring for authentic statistics concerning your succession, marriage and so on.” “Well, they can have them,” said Ran indifferently. “Yes, but I am afraid there will be some awkwardness for you on one point.” “Which point?” “That of your marriage.” “How should that be?” “Why, in this way—listen. The items of entry in your case will be something like this: “‘Hay, Randolph; born July 15, 184—; succeeded his grandfather as tenth squire, March 1, 186—,’ (for you know that your succession will date from the day of his death); ‘married December 2, 186—, Judith, daughter of ——’ Whom? There’s where the awkwardness would come in.” “I would say simply—Judith Man,” replied Ran Hay. “Very well—Judith Man, daughter of—whom? The _Herald’s College_ are very precise in these matters. You will have to find a father for her.” “Mr. Walling! If you were not my friend and my guest, I should be very angry with you. My sweet wife is a child of the Heavenly Father! but for an earthly parent of either sex I do not know where to look.” “Look here then, Hay, to me. I didn’t mention the difficulty without having a remedy for it. I am a childless widower, as you know. And though it would be straining a point of probability to represent a man of thirty-seven as the lawful father of a woman of nineteen, still I would like to adopt your wife as my daughter, that she may be entered in the Red Book as Judith, daughter of William Walling, Esq., attorney-at-law, New York City. Come, Hay, my friend, you know I mean the best by you and by her. Now what do you say to accepting me as your father-in-law?” inquired Will Walling, with a laugh.