“Rather,” said his Lordship.
“But is it odd that an utterly uneducated man,
one whom his country has left to grow up in the ignorance
of a brute, should have recourse to any measure, however
objectionable, when the law will absolutely give him
no redress against the trespass made by a couple of
hundred horsemen?” Lord Rufford gave it up, feeling
the Senator to be a man with whom he could not argue.
At Last
When once Mrs. Morton had taken her departure for
London, on the day after her grandson’s death,
nothing further was heard of her at Bragton.
She locked up everything and took all the keys away,
as though still hoping,—against hope,—that
the will might turn out to be other than she expected.
But when the lawyer came down to read the document
he brought the keys back with him, and no further
tidings reached Dillsborough respecting the old woman.
She still drew her income as she had done for half
a century, but never even came to look at the stone
which Reginald put up on the walls of Bragton church
to perpetuate the memory of his cousin. What moans
she made she made in silent obscurity, and devoted
the remainder of her years to putting together money
for members of her own family who took no notice of
her.
After the funeral, Lady Ushant returned to the house
at the request of her nephew, who declared his purpose
of remaining at Hoppet Hall for the present.
She expostulated with him and received from him an
assurance that he would take up his residence as squire
at Bragton as soon as he married a wife,—should
he ever do so. In the meantime he could, he thought,
perform his duties from Hoppet Hall as well as on
the spot. As a residence for a bachelor he preferred,
he said, Hoppet Hall to the park. Lady Ushant
yielded and returned once again to her old home, the
house in which she had been born,— and
gave up her lodgings at Cheltenham. The word that
he said about his possible marriage set her mind at
work, and induced her to put sundry questions to him.
“Of course you will marry?” she said.
“Men who have property to leave behind them
usually do marry, and as I am not wiser than others,
I probably may do so. But I will not admit that
it is a matter of course. I may escape yet”
“I do hope you will marry. I hope it may
be before I die, so that I may see her.”
“And disapprove of her, ten to one.”
“Certainly I shall not if you tell me that you
love her.”
“Then I will tell you so, to prevent disagreeable
results.”
“I am quite sure there must be somebody that
you like, Reginald,” she said after a pause.
“Are you? I don’t know that I have
shown any very strong preference. I am not disposed
to praise myself for many things, but I really do
think that I have been as undemonstrative as most men
of my age.”
“Still I did hope—”
