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Not a as said to the young lord on his return ho the O'Haras till he himself had broached the subject He found his brother Jack Neville at Scroope on his arrival, and Sophie Mellerby was still staying with his aunt A day had been fixed for the funeral, but no one had ventured to ement till the heir and owner should be there He was received with solemn respect by the old servants who, as he observed, abstained fro him by any name They knew that it did not become them to transfer the former lord's title to the heir till all that remained of the former lord should be hidden fro themselves to address a real Earl as Mr Neville His aunt was broken down by sorrow, but nevertheless, she treated hi sovereign a there was at his disposal When he held her by the hand and spoke of her future life she only shook her head "I ah not in years old as was o"

"Dear aunt, do not speak of going Where can you be so well as here?" But she only shook her head again and wept afresh Of course it would not be fitting that she should re Earl as only her nephew by e Scroope Manor would now becoht of heart; there would be feasting there and dancing; horses neighing before the doors, throngs of carriages, new furniture, bright draperies, and perhaps, alas, loud revellings It would not be fit that such a one as she should be at Scroope now that her lord had left her

The funeral was an affair not of poreat moment in those parts Two or three Nevilles from other counties ca other names Mr Mellerby was there, and one or two of the late Earl's oldest friends; but the great gathering was made up of the Scroope tenants, not one of whorave "My Lord," said an oldlord's cousin though they two had never met before, "My Lord," said the old rave, "you are called upon to succeed as good a man as ever it has been my lot to know I loved hihtly turn away from his example" Fred made some promise which at the moment he certainly intended to perform