‘Hold your tongue, sir,’ said the doctor, getting up.

‘Hold my tongue!’ said Sir Louis.

‘Sir Louis Scatcherd,’ said the squire, slowly rising from his chair, ’we will not, if you please, talk about business at the present moment.  Perhaps we had better go to the ladies.’

This latter proposition had certainly not come from the squire’s heart:  going to the ladies was the very last thing for which Sir Louis was now fit.  But the squire had said it as being the only recognised formal way he could think of for breaking up the symposium.

‘Oh, very well,’ hiccupped the baronet, ’I’m always ready for the ladies,’ and he stretched out his hand to the decanter to get a last glass of Madeira.

‘No,’ said the doctor, rising stoutly, and speaking with a determined voice.  ‘No; you will have no more wine.’

‘What’s all this about?’ said Sir Louis, with a drunken laugh.

’Of course he cannot go into the drawing-room, Mr Gresham.  If you will leave him here with me, I will stay with him, till the fly comes.  Pray tell Lady Arabella from me how sorry I am that this has occurred.’

The squire took him by the hand affectionately.  ’I’ve seen a tipsy man before to-night,’ said he.

‘Yes,’ said the doctor, ‘and so have I, but—­’ He did not express the rest of his thoughts.

CHAPTER XXXVI

Will he come again?

Long before the doctor returned home after the little dinner-party above described, Mary had learnt that Frank was already at Greshamsbury.  She had heard nothing of him, not a word, nothing in the shape of a message, for twelve months; and at her age twelve months is a long period.  Would he come and see her in spite of his mother?  Would he send her any tidings of is return, or notice her in any way?  If he did not, what would she do? and if he did, what then would she do?  It was so hard to resolve; so hard to be deserted; and so hard to dare to wish that she might not be deserted!  She continued to say to herself, that it would be better that they should be strangers; and she could hardly keep herself from tears in the fear that they might be so.  What chance could there be that he should care for her, after an absence spent in travelling over the world?  No; she would forget that affair of his hand; and then, immediately after having so determined, she would confess to herself that it was a thing not to be forgotten, and impossible of oblivion.

On her uncle’s return, she would hear some word about him; and so she sat alone, with a book before her, of which she could not read a line.  She expected them about eleven, and was, therefore, rather surprised when the fly stopped at the door before nine.

She immediately heard her uncle’s voice, loud and angry, calling for Thomas.  Both Thomas and Bridget were unfortunately out, being, at this moment, forgetful of all sublunary cares, and seated in happiness under a beech-tree in the park.  Janet flew to the little gate, and there found Sir Louis insisting that he would be taken at once to his own mansion at Boxall Hill, and positively swearing that he would not longer submit to the insult of the doctor’s surveillance.