"I had not
thought of it in that light at all. In fact I had hardly thought about
it at all, except that it would be nice to see Mabel provided for."
"It would be nice, my dear. But we surely need not be anxious about
her. We may hope that she will make a happy marriage. We may hope too
that we may be spared long enough to make some provision for her, for,
of course, we must now curtail our expenses and lay by as much as we
can for her. Lastly, dear, we need not be anxious; because we trust
that God will provide for her should we not be enabled to do so. But
even were I sure that we should both be taken together, I would rather
leave her in His hands than accept money wrongfully obtained and
condone an abominable action. There is, too, another point from which
the matter should be looked at. You see this curious condition that
they propose, that the annuity shall be forfeited unless she marry
with their sanction. Why should they propose such a condition?"
"I am sure I don't know, James; for of course, we should never give
our sanction to her marriage unless we approved of her choice, and
surely the Miss Penfolds would not disapprove of a choice that we
approved of?"
"Well, they might, my dear. You know how bitterly they disliked Ralph
Conway, and how they resented his being at the Hall. It is quite
possible they may have had some idea of Herbert's views about him and
Mabel, and are determined that he shall not benefit through Mabel by
one penny of their brother's property; and this clause is specially
designed so that in case the two young people ever should come
together they may be able if not to stop it--at any rate to stop the
annuity.
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