justify actual possession in the person of the next of kin. Proceedings
continued, fees were paid, a certain legal personage already mentioned
came down from time to time and looked over the estate, but the matter
was not finally settled until the eccentric individual died, after forty
years of eccentricity, to the infinite relief and satisfaction of all
parties and especially of his lawful successor Charles James Juxon now,
at last, "of Billingsfield Hall, in the county of Essex, Esquire."

In due time also Mr. Juxon appeared. It was natural that he should come
to see the vicar, and as it happened that he called late in the afternoon
upon the day when Mrs. Goddard and little Eleanor were accustomed to dine
at the vicarage, he at once had an opportunity of making the acquaintance
of his tenant; thus, if we except the free-thinking doctor, it will be
seen that Mr. Juxon was in the course of five minutes introduced to the
whole of the Billingsfield society.

He was a man inclining towards middle age, of an active and vigorous
body, of a moderate intelligence and of decidedly prepossessing
appearance. His features were of the strong, square type, common to men
whose fathers for many generations have lived in the country. His eyes
were small, blue and very bright, and to judge from the lines in his
sunburned face he was a man who laughed often and heartily. He had an
abundance of short brown hair, parted very far upon one side and brushed
to a phenomenal smoothness, and he wore a full brown beard, cut rather
short and carefully trimmed. He immediately won the heart of Mrs. Ambrose
on account of his extremely neat appearance. There was no foreign blood
in him, she was sure. He had large clean hands with large and polished
nails. He wore very well made clothes, and he spoke like a gentleman.
The vicar, too, was at once prepossessed in his favour, and even little
Eleanor, who was generally very shy before strangers, looked at him