Then I was obliged to
leave the Service and went down to Yarleys after my father's death--it's
mine now, you know, but worth nothing except a shooting rent, which just
pays for the repairs. There I met Champers-Haswell, who lives near
and is a kind of distant cousin of mine--my mother was a Champers--and
happened to mention the thing to him. He took it up at once and
introduced me to Aylward, and the end of it was, that they offered me a
partnership with a small share in the business, because they said I was
just the man they wanted."
"Just the man they wanted," repeated the editor after him. "Yes, the
last of the Vernons, an engineer with an old name in his county, a
clean record and plenty of ability. Yes, you would be just the man they
wanted. And you accepted?"
"Yes. I was on my beam ends with nothing to do; I wanted to make some
money. You see Yarleys has been in the family for over five hundred
years, and it seemed hard to have to sell it. Also--also----" and he
paused.
"Ever meet Barbara Champers?" asked Mr. Jackson inconsequently. "I did
once. Wonderfully nice girl, and very good-looking too. But of course
you know her, and she is her uncle's ward, and their place isn't far off
Yarleys, you say.
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