CHAPTER II

The Senator’s Letter

Soon after this Senator Gotobed went down, alone, to Dillsborough and put himself up at the Bush Inn.  Although he had by no means the reputation of being a rich man, he did not seem to care much what money he spent in furthering any object he had taken in hand.  He never knew how near he had been to meeting the direst inhospitality at Mr. Runciman’s house.  That worthy innkeeper, knowing well the Senator’s sympathy with Goarly, Scrobby and Bearside, and being heart and soul devoted to the Rufford interest, had almost refused the Senator the accommodation he wanted.  It was only when Mrs. Runciman represented to him that she could charge ten shillings a day for the use of her sitting-room, and also that Lord Rufford himself had condescended to entertain the gentleman, that Runciman gave way.  Mr. Gotobed would, no doubt, have delighted in such inhospitality.  He would have gone to the second-rate inn, which was very second-rate indeed, and have acquired a further insight into British manners and British prejudices.  As it was, he made himself at home in the best upstairs sitting-room at the Bush, and was quite unaware of the indignity offered to him when Mr. Runciman refused to send him up the best sherry.  Let us hope that this refusal was remembered by the young woman in the bar when she made out the Senator’s bill.

He stayed at Dillsborough for three or four days during which he saw Goarly once and Bearside on two or three occasions,—­and moreover handed to that busy attorney three bank notes for five pounds each.  Bearside was clever enough to make him believe that Goarly would certainly obtain serious damages from the lord.  With Bearside he was fairly satisfied, thinking however that the man was much more illiterate and ignorant than the general run of lawyers in the United States; but with Goarly he was by no means satisfied.  Goarly endeavoured to keep out of his way and could not be induced to come to him at the Bush.  Three times he walked out to the house near Dillsborough Wood, on each of which occasions Mrs. Goarly pestered him for money, and told him at great length the history of her forlorn goose.  Scrobby, of whom he had heard, he could not see at all; and he found that Bearside was very unwilling to say anything about Scrobby.  Scrobby, and the red herrings and the strychnine and the dead fox were, according to Bearside, to be kept quite distinct from the pheasants and the wheat.  Bearside declared over and over again that there was no evidence to connect his client with the demise of the fox.  When asked whether he did not think that his client had compassed the death of the animal, he assured the Senator that in such matters, he never ventured to think.

“Let us go by the evidence, Mr. Gotobed,” he said.

“But I am paying my money for the sake of getting at the facts.”

“Evidence is facts, sir,” said the attorney.  “Any way let us settle about the pheasants first”