say that he has been pursued.  He cannot tell her friends that she began it, and in point of fact did it all.  “She would fall into my arms; she would embrace me; she persisted in asking me whether I loved her!” Though a man have to be shot for it, or kicked for it, or even though he have to endure perpetual scorn for it, he cannot say that, let it be ever so true.  And yet is a man to be forced into a marriage which he despises?  He would not be forced into the marriage,—­and the sooner he retreated the less would be the metaphorical shooting and kicking and the real scorn.  He must get out of it as best he could;—­but that he would get out of it he was quite determined.

That afternoon he reached Mr. Surbiton’s house, as did also Captain Battersby, and his horses, grooms, and other belongings.  When there he received a lot of letters, and among others one from Mr. Runciman, of the Bush, inquiring as to a certain hiring of rooms and preparation for a dinner or dinners which had been spoken of in reference to a final shooting decreed to take place in the neighbourhood of Dillsborough in the last week of January.  Such things were often planned by Lord Rufford, and afterwards forgotten or neglected.  When he declared his purpose to Runciman, he had not intended to go to Mistletoe, nor to stay so long with his friend Surbiton.  But now he almost thought that it would be better for him to be back at Rufford Hall, where at present his sister was staying with her husband, Sir George Penwether.

In the evening of the second or third day his old friend Tom Surbiton said a few words to him which had the effect of sending him back to Rufford.  They had sat out the rest of the men who formed the party and were alone in the smoking-room.  “So you’re going to marry Miss Trefoil,” said Tom Surbiton, who perhaps of all his friends was the most intimate.

“Who says so?”

“I am saying so at present”

“You are not saying it on your own authority.  You have never seen me and Miss Trefoil in a room together.”

“Everybody says so. of course such a thing cannot be arranged without being talked about”

“It has not been arranged.”

“If you don’t mean to have it arranged, you had better look to it.  I am speaking in earnest, Rufford.  I am not going to give up authorities.  Indeed if I did I might give up everybody.  The very servants suppose that they know it, and there isn’t a groom or horseboy about who isn’t in his heart congratulating the young lady on her promotion.”

“I’ll tell you what it is, Tom.”

“Well;—­what is it?”

“If this had come from any other man than yourself I should quarrel with him.  I am not engaged to the young lady, nor have I done anything to warrant anybody in saying so.”

“Then I may contradict it.”

“I don’t want you either to contradict it or affirm it.  It would be an impertinence to the young lady if I were to instruct any one to contradict such a report.  But as a fact I am not engaged to marry Miss Trefoil, nor is there the slightest chance that I ever shall be so engaged.”  So saying he took up his candlestick and walked off.