looking up at the hatchment; "I'm blessed if you do, old gentleman.
That would be too much of a joke; I'll take care of that." So he got
up at night, and he got some fellows with him, and they climbed up and
painted out "Resurgam", and they painted into its place, "Requiescat in
pace"; which means, you know, "you'd a great deal better stay where you
are". Now I call that good. Fred Hatherly did that as sure as--as sure
as--as sure as anything.'

Frank could not help laughing at the story, especially at his cousin's
mode of translating the undertaker's mottoes; and then they sauntered
back from the stables into the house to dress for dinner.

Dr Thorne had come to the house somewhat before dinner-time, at Mr
Gresham's request, and was now sitting with the squire in his own
book-room--so called--while Mary was talking to some of the girls
upstairs.

'I must have ten or twelve thousand pounds; ten at the very least,'
said the squire, who was sitting in his usual arm-chair, close to his
littered table, with his head supported on his hand, looking very
unlike the father of an heir of a noble property, who had that day come
of age.

It was the first of July, and of course there was no fire in the grate;
but, nevertheless, the doctor was standing with his back to the
fireplace, with his coat-tails over his arms, as though he were
engaged, now in summer as he so often was in winter, in talking, and
roasting his hinder person at the same time.

'Twelve thousand pounds! It's a very large sum of money.'