Produced by Robert Cicconetti, Sue Fleming and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) MORTOMLEY'S ESTATE. A Novel. BY MRS. RIDDELL, AUTHOR OF "GEORGE GEITH," "TOO MUCH ALONE," "HOME, SWEET HOME," "THE EARL'S PROMISE," ETC. ETC. _IN THREE VOLUMES._ VOL. II. LONDON: TINSLEY BROTHERS, 8, CATHERINE STREET, STRAND. 1874. _All rights of Translation and Reproduction are Reserved_. PRINTED BY TAYLOR AND CO., LITTLE QUEEN STREET, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS. TO Emma Martin, OF WADESMILL, HERTS, THIS STORY IS DEDICATED, AS A TOKEN OF THE AUTHOR'S RESPECT AND AFFECTION. CONTENTS. CHAP. PAGE I. MR. FORDE AT HOMEWOOD 1 II. KLEINWORT AND CO. IN CONSULTATION 18 III. MR. DEAN AND HIS FUTURE RELATIVES 50 IV. PREVISION 70 V. MR. DEAN GLORIFIES HIMSELF 85 VI. MR. GIBBONS' OPINION ON THE STATE OF AFFAIRS 107 VII. STRAWS 123 VIII. MR. SWANLAND STIRS HIS TEA 147 IX. IN THE 'TIMES' 169 X. MR. SWANLAND WISHES TO BE INFORMED 186 XI. MRS. MORTOMLEY'S FORTUNE 208 XII. LEAVING HOMEWOOD 223 XIII. DOLLY WRITES A LETTER 251 XIV. THE BEGINNING OF A NEW LIFE 277 XV. MR. FORDE MAKES A MISTAKE 292 MORTOMLEY'S ESTATE. CHAPTER I. MR. FORDE AT HOMEWOOD. Said Mrs. Mortomley to Lenore, "Run away, love, I do not want you here. I am busy." "Shall I take her?" asked Rupert, seeing a little trouble in the child's eyes, a pucker about the corners of her mouth. "Thank you, yes," answered Dolly; and so, without leave-taking of any kind, the little girl and Rupert departed through one of the French windows already mentioned.