her husband's roof.

Ten years passed, and she lived so completely in retirement, that
she deprived herself even of the society of her child; for when the
period of nursing was over, she sent him to Coote-down Hall, where
he was educated. At the end of that period her father died; and, to
her great disappointment, instead of finding herself uncontrolled
mistress of a large fortune, she discovered it was so left, that
unless she returned to her husband, she would be unable to benefit
by it in the smallest degree. Mutual friends again interfered, and,
after some difficulty, persuaded her to meet Hardman at her father's
funeral, which she appeared to have no objection to attend. The
happy result was that a reconciliation took place, and she resumed
her proper station as the lady of Coote-down Hall. It was, however,
observed that before she returned, the little son was sent away to
continue his education in a foreign seminary.

Privy to all these arrangements, and in fact the chief mover in
them, was Hardman's attorney. Such was the squire's indolence of
disposition, that to this individual he confided everything; not
only the management of his estates, the receipt and payment of all
monies, but the arrangement of his most secret transactions. But,
Mr Dodbury bearing the character of a highly just and honourable
man, no suspicion ever existed that he abused the absolute unbounded
trust reposed in him in the slightest degree. Indeed, putting aside
the native honesty of his character, his position in the district
was so good, that it would have been very bad policy for him to
jeopardise it by any abuse of the confidence reposed in him. Being
the younger son of an ancient family, and a distant relation of
Hardman, he was received in the best society. Dodbury was a widower,