But Rylton would not hear of it. He had, as he had already told Mr.
Bolton, a small yearly income that he might with honesty call his
own. It was specially small on account of his mother's jointure
having to be paid out of the estate also. Of course he could not
curtail that, nor would he desire to do so. And, seeing how deeply
dipped the estates were, he could, of course, only take as much as
he could reasonably desire. With his future wife's help, however, he
felt the old property could be brought back in time to its former
splendid position--to a position that he would be proud to see her
the mistress of, etc.

There is always a good deal of humbug talked on these occasions.
Maurice, perhaps, talked very considerably less than most people;
and, indeed, when he said he would gladly see her mistress of all he
ought to have, he spoke something very near the truth. He was
grateful to her beyond all words, and he had sworn to himself to be
loyal to her.

Lady Rylton was distinctly annoyed when she heard of the
arrangements come to. She would have liked Maurice to have had
entire control of his wife's fortune. And, oddly enough, Tita was
annoyed too.

"Oh, I _wish_ you had broken away entirely from Uncle George," she
had said to Maurice, when he had come down on one of his flying
visits to The Place between his engagement and his marriage.

"But why? He seemed to me quite a nice old gentleman."

She could not explain why, however, but only clung to her belief