“I have heard one piece of news.”
“What’s that, sir?”
“Come,—you tell me yours first”
“The young squire is coming down to Bragton
next week.”
“That’s my news too. It is not likely
that there should be two matters of interest in Dillsborough
on the same day.”
“I don’t know why Dillsborough should
be worse off than any other place, Mr. Morton; but
at any rate the squire’s coming.”
“So Mrs. Hopkins told me. Has he written
to you?”
“His coachman or his groom has; or perhaps he
keeps what they call an ekkery. He’s much
too big a swell to write to the likes of me.
Lord bless me,—when I think of it, I wonder
how many dozen of orders I’ve had from Lord
Rufford under his own hand. ’Dear Runcimam,
dinner at eight; ten of us; won’t wait a moment.
Yours R.’ I suppose Mr. Morton would think
that his lordship had let himself down by anything
of that sort?”
“What does my cousin want?”
“Two pair of horses,—for a week certain,
and perhaps longer, and two carriages. How am
I to let anyone have two pair of horses for a week
certain,—and perhaps longer? What are
other customers to do? I can supply a gentleman
by the month and buy horses to suit; or I can supply
him by the job. But I guess Mr. Morton don’t
well know how things are managed in this country.
He’ll have to learn.
“What day does he come?”
“They haven’t told me that yet, Mr. Morton.”
The Walk Home
Mary Masters, when Reginald Morton had turned his
back upon her at the bridge, was angry with herself
and with him, which was reasonable; and very angry
also with Larry Twentyman, which was unreasonable.
As she had at once acceded to Morton’s proposal
that they should walk round the house together, surely
he should not have deserted her so soon. It had
not been her fault that the other man had come up.
She had not wanted him. But she was aware that
when the option had in some sort been left to herself,
she had elected to walk back with Larry. She
knew her own motives and her own feelings, but neither
of the men would understand them. Because she
preferred the company of Mr. Morton, and had at the
moment feared that her sisters would have deserted
her had she followed him, therefore she had declared
her purpose of going back to Dillsborough, in doing
which she knew that Larry and the girls would accompany
her. But of course Mr, Morton would think that
she had preferred the company of her recognised admirer.
It was pretty well known in Dillsborough that Larry
was her lover. Her stepmother had spoken of it
very freely; and Larry himself was a man who did not
keep his lights hidden under a bushel. “I
hope I’ve not been in the way, Mary,”
said Mr. Twentyman, as soon as Morton was out of hearing.
“In the way of what?”
“I didn’t think there was any harm in
offering to go up to the house with you if you were
going.”
