"As the law stands I cannot do that. But as you are luckily in orders, I can put you in--on this understanding, that you shall regard the income as belonging rather to your mother and to your sisters than to yourself." "If your lordship shall see fit to present me to the living, my mother and sisters will of course want nothing that I can give them." "Ah--h--h--h, my young friend! but that will not be sufficient for me. I must have a pledge from you--your word as a gentleman and a clergyman, that you take the living on an understanding that the income is to go to your father's widow. Why should I give you five hundred pounds a year? Eh? Tell me that. Why should I nominate a young man like you to such a living? you, whom I never saw in my life? Tell me that." Arthur Wilkinson was a man sufficiently meek in spirit, as ordinary meekness goes--the ordinary meekness, that is, of a young clergyman of the Church of England--but he was not quite inclined to put up with this. "I am obliged, my lord, to say again that I have not asked for so great a favour from you. Indeed, till I received your letter desiring me to come here, I had no other thought of the living than that of vacating the house whenever your nominee should present himself." "That's all very well," said Lord Stapledean; "but you must be a very unnatural son if on that account you refuse to be the means of providing for your unfortunate mother and sisters." "I refuse! why, my lord, I regard it as much my duty to keep my mother and sisters from want as my father did. Whether I am to have this living or no, we shall live together; and whatever I have will be theirs." "That's all very well, Mr. Wilkinson; but the question I ask you is this: if I make you vicar of Hurst Staple, will you, after deducting a fair stipend for yourself as curate--say one hundred and fifty pounds a year if you will--will you make over the rest of the income to your mother as long as she lives?" This was a question to which Wilkinson found it very difficult to give a direct answer. He hardly knew whether he would not be guilty of simony in making such a promise, and he felt that at any rate the arrangement would be an improper one. "If you knew," said he, at last, "the terms on which my mother and I live together, you would perceive that such a promise is not needed." "I shall not the less think it necessary to exact it. I am putting great trust in you as it is, very great trust; more so perhaps than I am justified in doing." His lordship here alluded merely to the disposition of the vicarial tithes, and not at all to the care of souls which he was going to put into the young man's hands. Arthur Wilkinson again sat silent for awhile. "One would think," said his lordship, "that you would be glad to have the means of securing your mother from beggary. I imagined that you would have been in some measure gratified by my--my--my good intentions towards your family."