Then Cuthbert thought the whole matter through, from beginning to end, and finally, with wise and uncommon mental patience, made up his mind not to rush in like a fool, where a man of any ordinary experience might well fear to tread. He would take every care of Guy; but, in that unknown region of his trial, he would let him judge for himself. PART TWO, CHAPTER ELEVEN. HELPING AND HINDERING. After Godfrey's wild visit to Moorhead, the first news that came to Constancy and Florella from Waynflete, was the announcement to their aunt from Mrs Joshua Palmer of the death in the family. It came after they had joined her at Harrowgate, and was quite short and formal, without any mention of the two young men. Constancy was honestly shocked and grieved. The high-spirited, vigorous old lady had struck her fancy, and the wreath she sent was a genuine expression of feeling. The next thing was a polite visit from old Mr Matthew, as it was the custom to call him, with his report of the funeral, and of the contents of the will, together with his comments thereon. "Neither of the lads looks as if he'd make a hand of the business. The eldest is but a poor, weakly fellow, and of course the old lady must have had very good reasons for passing him over and preferring his brother. Eh! they're a queer lot, are the Waynfletes, a bad stock--a bad stock--and that's a thing there's no getting over." Mrs John Palmer replied with polite hopes that their bringing up might have partly got over it; but though she was not very fond of her husband's family, on family occasions she remembered Palmer prejudices, and felt for the moment that the two Waynfletes were interlopers. Constancy heard of Godfrey's inheritance with a great throb of surprise. How would he take it? How had it come about? She remembered how Guy had been sent for at the last, and she wondered, being keen enough to guess how much there was to wonder at. Just before she left Yorkshire she received a letter. It began abruptly--