“My sweet Barbara,” she said, “I am so much obliged to you for letting me know! I will not ask any promise from you. Only you must not heedlessly bring trouble upon us. If the thing were talked about, some unprincipled lawyer would be sure to take it up, and there would be another claimant-case, with the people in a hubbub, and thousands of ignorant honest folk duped of their money to enrich the rascality. I heard a distinguished judge once say, that, even if the claimant were the real sir Roger, he had no right to the property, having so long neglected the duties of it as to make it impossible to be certain of his identity. Such people put the country to enormous expense, and are never of any service to it. It is a wrong to all classes when a man without education succeeds to property. For one thing he will always side with the tenants against the land. And what service can any such man render his country in parliament? Without a suitable training there can be no genuine right.”
She was on the point of adding—“And then are the hopes and services and just expectations of a lifetime to go for nothing?” but checked herself and was silent.
To all this Barbara had been paying little heed. She was revolving whether she ought to tell Richard what she had just heard. Neither then nor as she rode home, however, could she come to a conclusion. If Richard was not the heir, why should she trouble him? But he might be the heir, and what then? She must seek counsel! But of whom? Not of her mother! As certainly not of her father! She had no ground for trusting the judgment of either.
Having got rid of Miss Brown, she walked to the parsonage.
But she did not find there such a readiness to give advice as she had expected.
“The thing is not my business,” said Wingfold.
“Not!” returned the impetuous Barbara. “I thought you were so much interested in the young man! He told me the other day that he had seen you again, and had a long talk with you, and that you thought the popular idea of the inspiration of the scriptures the greatest nonsense!”
“Did he tell you that I said it was much nearer the truth after all than the fancy that the Bible had no claim beyond any other book?”
“Yes, he did.”
“That's all right!—Tell me then, Miss Wylder: are you interested in the young man because he is possibly heir to a baronetcy?”