ed what he would have hidden from him for a time, or thought he had discovered it, which came to the same thing, since it was true, and that he migh

that there was a disturbance in the air. He would enter upon a course of conversation with gaiety, and relinquish it immediately to frown upon his plate. He grumbled at everything u

hy about her; it must have come out after we were sent away yesterday. Father thinks he's Emper

s Humphrey's debts. Father has got pots of money, but he hat

That proves nothing. A week's pock

we weren'

ck about the camera. I don't suppose he's concerned in

k has fallen in love with Lady Geo

alk sense. Dick in

Anyhow, we'll leave no stone u

all right. It will add

d into the library and the Squire would unbosom himself of his difficulties. Dick himself had often joined in these conclaves. "Let's see what Tom has to say about it," his father would say. "He has a good head, Tom." Dick would be left out of this conclave, but as he thought of the line that his uncle was likely to take, he half wished that he had had a conclave with him himself beforehand. The Rector was a man of peace, a lovable man, who hated to see any one uncomfort

Squire's sudden frown, "have you heard that M

Dubec. She is a friend of mine,

eak, and to speak at once. "I am very sorry she has come," he said. "She i

ront of his son, the being beloved best in the world, and he would have put it on him if the whole household had been present. But what it co

r, not at the affront to himself, but to Virginia. "We are a little behind the ti

epartee at hand. The awkward moment was covered by the immediate flow of conversati

ector, he broke out at once. "Tom, you heard what happened. Dick is out of his mind about

was astonished. "My dear Edward!" he exclaimed. "I did not g

orgiven that. I can't deny that women do hunt, now, who wouldn't have done in our young days. An American! Well, people do marry them nowadays-but an American at Kencote after all these generations! Think of it, Tom! And i

Rector. "He was

marry. Isn't it too shameful, Tom? What can have come over him? He has never acted in this sort of way before. My boy Dick! In everything that has ever happene

n the lightest obstacles, but calming down after he had been humoured a bit, accepting the inevitable like a sensible man, and making the best of it. But this was beyond the point at which

is lady, Edward?"

of Dick. I would rather he had married the daughter of a farm-labourer-a girl of clean healthy English stock. To bring a creature from behind the footlights and make her mistress of Kencote-a soiled woman-that's what she is, even if she has never sold herself-and who knows that she hasn't? She did sell herself-to a broken-down roué, a m

asked the Rector, anxious to bring this tirad

e has brought her down here, a

have more to go on than that, if you have m

comes just on top of it. Why, he had her down here-fixed it all up for her-and never said a word to us till after we'd heard from outside that she was there. Ther

cknowledge i

e Dick. She has had a bad influence on him already. Don't waste time in try

l doubted whether he had made up his mind to do this particular thing. He thought that the Squire was probably alarming himself needlessly, and with all the art that lay in his power he t

d the Squire. "It's the last thing Dick would do, and I'd rather he did what he's doing now, bad as it is, than

etation the Squire had put upon them, and he was rather scandalised. "I say that you ought to hold your judgment until you have seen her, and know something of her at first hand. I do not believe that Dick would expect his family to make friends

, "and you've got to keep your eyes shut

hut your eyes to what you know of Dick's character. You picture to yourself a vulgar, scheming adventuress. I say that if Dick is in love with this la

ring all over the county covered with mud, and getting in the way of the hounds. Women are an infernal nuisance in the hunting-field. Well, you don't give me

Dick wants to marry her, and if he does she can't be anything like you have imagi

r parents. Yes, for this is right, by George! the Bible says. And so it is; if c

ack for an hour or more. He had not told her that he was coming over, and had not intended to do so. Horses were not taken out of the Kencote stables on Sundays

taring moodily into the fire, when he heard voices in the hall. A look of relief came over his face and he got up, prepared to greet Virginia, when the door was opened and Mrs. G

e exclaimed. "They told m

He could not for the life of him preven

from Anne Conyers, who asked me to come and see Lady George, as she didn't know a soul in the county. I'm only too pleased to; we're such a set of rustics here that it does us good to get somebody new, if they're not nincompoops like th

f cour

orrow. Jim and Muriel are coming, and Roddy Buckstone. Will

ut Humphrey. I sh

. You might take a mess

rote a note to hi

ham in a voice that

ck gav

with her-Miss Dexter," he said. "Y

ank you for tellin

completion. She seemed as if she were turning over in her mind something to say, but finally rose, and sai

k, rather grudgingly, for he didn't want Mr

Dick, I don't know whether I'm a fool to say anything or not, and I don't want to mix myself up in other people's business, but Anne C

nowing nod which

y before Tom and Grace and the whole family that Lady George Dubec might be good enough for me to know in London, but she wasn't good enoug

nd if he doesn't he is not the only person in South Meadshire, though he sometimes behaves as if he thought he was. Good

eted by her pack, and then returned to the drawing-room. "And I wo

de him catch his breath with a queer mixture of sensations. She brought a cool fresh fragrance into the room with her, and he thought he had never seen her look sweet

ws thoughtfully and sadly. "He must be rather terrible, your father," she said, "a

d to him the night before, about not wanting to marry a youngster. I don't know why on earth I was fool enough to say it, and put him on the scent. I suppose I was thinking such a lot of you, my girl. I ca

have quite come

w. I still think-what I've always thought

at now, if he has heard all about me, a

anything until after we know what has happened at the meet. And by the by, there's a dinner i

to tell you that I knew her sister-in-law. I'm afraid

ts and the tea, and Miss Dexter after her, and the result of their talk was that they felt things were