Frank must marry money. I hope he will understand this early; do make
him understand this before he makes a fool of himself: when a man
thoroughly understands this, when he knows what his circumstances
require, why, the matter becomes easy to him. I hope that Frank
understands that he has no alternative. In his position he must marry
money.'

But, alas! alas! Frank Gresham had already made a fool of himself.

'Well, my boy, I wish you joy with all my heart,' said the Honourable
John, slapping his cousin on the back, as he walked round to the
stable-yard with him before dinner, to inspect a setter puppy of
peculiarly fine breed which had been sent to Frank as a birthday
present. 'I wish I were an elder son; but we can't all have that
luck.'

'Who wouldn't sooner be the younger son of an earl than the eldest son
of a plain squire?' said Frank, wishing to say something civil in
return for his cousin's civility.

'I wouldn't for one,' said the Honourable John. 'What chance have I?
There's Porlock as strong as a horse; and then George comes next. And
the governor's good for these twenty years.' And the young man sighed
as he reflected what small hope there was that all those who were
nearest and dearest to him should die out of his way, and leave him to
the sweet enjoyment of an earl's coronet and fortune. 'Now, you're
sure of your game some day; and as you've no brothers, I suppose the
squire'll let you do pretty well what you like. Besides, he's not so
strong as my governor, though he's younger.'