Anthony Trollope: The Belton Estate

31. CHAPTER XXXI: TAKING POSSESSION (continued)

'It seems to me to be very shabby,' said William Belton.

'It seems to me to be very extravagant,' said the leader among the counsellors. 'She is net entitled to sixpence.'

But at last the arrangement as above described was the one to which they all assented.

When Belton reached the house which was now his own he found no one there but his sister. Clara was at the cottage. As he had been told that she was to return there, he had no reason to be annoyed. But, nevertheless, he was annoyed, or rather discontented, and had not been a quarter of an hour about the place before he declared his intention to go and seek her.

'Do no such thing, Will; pray do not,' said his sister.

'And why not?'

'Because it will be better that you should wait. You will only injure yourself and her by being impetuous.'

'But it is absolutely necessary that she should know her own position. It would be cruelty to keep her in ignorance though for the matter of that I shall be ashamed to tell her. Yes I shall be ashamed to look her in the face. What will she think of it after I had assured her that she should have the whole?'

'But she would not have taken it, Will. And had she done so, she would have been very wrong. Now she will be comfortable.'

'I wish I could be comfortable,' said he.

'If you will only wait'

'I hate waiting. I do not see what good it will do. Besides, I don't mean to say anything about that not today, at least. I don t indeed. As for being here and not seeing her, that is out of the question. Of course she would think that I had quarrelled with her, and that I meant to take everything to myself, now that I have the power.'