Matthew tells his nephews that he is ill and intends to make his will, but he wants Kitty married before he dies, and that he will leave his fortune to whoever marries her. He reminds George that he is already married, and wasn't invited. Hugh asks what will become of Kitty if she does not choose to marry, and Matthew says he will leave his fortune to a charity. He is annoyed though that Jack has not come to make a proposal.
Hugh who is very priggish, tells Kitty that he would be happy to marry her but that it has nothing to do with her inheriting Matthew's fortune and she is furious at his hypocrisy. George reminds her that she is penniless and not all that accomplished and would find it hard to earn a living if she does not marry or inherit from Uncle Matthew.
Kitty furious and upset leaves them alone. On an impulse, she packs some clothes and leaves the house, but is forced to seek shelter at the local inn, as it is bad weather.
To her amazement she meets Freddy Standen, her other adopted cousin. Freddy is from a well off family, the heir to a viscountcy, and Kitty feels angry that he is visiting Arnside and presumably preparing to ask her to marry him, since he is comfortably off and has no need for a rich wife. But after a conversation, she realises that he did not know that he was being summoned to propose. She tells him how miserable she is stuck in the country with no friends or family, only seeing Hugh Rattray who is the local clergyman and Miss Fishguard. Freddy is not very clever but he has an impression that Kitty is rather smitten with Jack Westruther who visits Matthew most often of the relatives. So he is shocked and surprised when Kitty asks him to become engaged to her. She does not admit to her feelings for Jack but tells him that she wants to go to London, that she feels that there is some hope of her making some kind of new life for herself if she can only get there, rather than being stuck in the country.
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