Shewasevidentlyaweak，butprobablyadisinterested，woman；anditwasonlyalittlebitofill—temperonherpartwhichhadcausedhertospeaktoRogerasshehaddone。’Idaresayitwasratherimpertinentofmetocallatsuchanuntimelyhour，’saidRoger。’Notatall；Icallatallhours，andnothingiseversaidaboutit。Itwasjustbecauseshewasputoutthatmorning。I’llanswerforitshe’ssorrynow，andI’msureyoumaygothereatanytimeyoulikeinthefuture。’Still，Rogerdidnotchoosetogoagainfortwoorthreeweeks，andtheconsequencewasthatthenexttimehecalledtheladieswereout。Onceagainhehadthesameill—luck，andthenhereceivedalittleprettythree—cornerednotefromMrsGibson：—MYDEARSIR，—Howisitthatyouarebecomesoformalallonasudden，leavingcards，insteadofawaitingourreturn？Fieforshame！IfyouhadseentheracesofdisappointmentthatIdidwhenthehorridlittlebitsofpasteboardweredisplayedtoourview，youwouldnothavebornemaliceagainstmesolong；foritisreallypunishingothersaswellasmynaughtyself。Ifyouwillcometo—morrow—asearlyasyoulike—andlunchwithus，I’llownIwascross，andacknowledgemyselfapenitent。—Yoursever，HYACINTHC。K。GIBSON。Therewasnoresistingthis，eveniftherehadnotbeenstronginclinationtobackuptheprettywords。Rogerwent，andMrsGibsoncaressedandpettedhiminhersweetest，silkiestmanner。Cynthialookedlovelierthanevertohimfortheslightrestrictionthathadbeenlaidforatimeontheirintercourse。ShemightbegayandsparklingwithOsborne；withRogershewassoftandgrave。Instinctivelysheknewhermen。ShesawthatOsbornewasonlyinterestedinherbecauseofherpositioninafamilywithwhomhewasintimate；thathisfriendshipwaswithouttheleasttouchofsentiment；
　　andthathisadmirationwasonlythewarmcriticismofanartistforunusualbeauty。ButshefelthowdifferentRoger’srelationtoherwas。Tohimshewastheone，alone，peerless。Ifhislovewasprohibited，itwouldbelongyearsbeforehecouldsinkdownintotepidfriendship；andtohimherpersonallovelinesswasonlyoneofthemanycharmsthatmadehimtrembleintopassion。Cynthiawasnotcapableofreturningsuchfeelings；
　　shehadhadtoolittletrueloveinherlife，andperhapstoomuchadmirationtodoso；butsheappreciatedthishonestardour，thisloyalworshipthatwasnewtoherexperience。Suchappreciation，andsuchrespectforhistrueandaffectionatenature，gaveaserioustendernesstohermannertoRoger，whichalluredhimwithafreshandseparategrace。Mollysateby，andwonderedhowitwouldallend，or，rather，howsoonitwouldallend，forshethoughtthatnogirlcouldresistsuchreverentpassion；andonRoger’ssidetherecouldbenodoubt—alas！therecouldbenodoubt。Anolderspectatormighthavelookedfarahead，andthoughtofthequestionofpounds，shillings，andpence。Wherewasthenecessaryincomeforamarriagetocomefrom？Rogerhadhisfellowshipnow，itistrue；buttheincomeofthatwouldbelostifhemarried；hehadnoprofession，andthelifeinterestofthetwoorthreethousandpoundsthatheinheritedfromhismother，belongedtohisfather。ThisolderspectatormighthavebeenalittlesurprisedattheempressementofMrsGibson’smannertoayoungerson，alwayssupposingthissaidspectatortohavereadtothedepthsofherworldlyheart。NeverhadshetriedtobemoreagreeabletoOsborne；
　　andthoughherattemptwasagreatfailurewhenpractiseduponRoger，andhedidnotknowwhattosayinreplytothedelicateBatterieswhichhefelttobeinsincere，hesawthatsheintendedhimtoconsiderhimselfhenceforwardfreeofthehouse；andhewastoogladtoavailhimselfofthisprivilegetoexamineover—closelyintowhatmightbehermotivesforherchangeofmanner。Heshuthiseyes，andchosetobelievethatshewasnowdesirousofmakingupforherlittleburstoftemperonhispreviousvisit。TheresultofOsborne’sconferencewiththetwodoctorshadbeencertainprescriptionswhichappearedtohavedonehimmuchgood，andwhichwouldinallprobabilityhavedonehimyetmore，couldhehavebeenfreeoftherecollectionofthelittlepatientwifeinhersolitudenearWinchester。
　　Hewenttoherwheneverhecould；and，thankstoRoger，moneywasfarmoreplentifulwithhimnowthanithadbeen。Buthestillshrank，andperhapsevenmoreandmore，fromtellinghisfatherofhismarriage。Somebodilyinstinctmadehimdreadallagitationinexpressibly。IfhehadnothadthismoneyfromRoger，hemighthavebeencompelledtotellhisfatherall，andtoaskforthenecessaryfundstoprovideforthewifeandthecomingchild。Butwithenoughinhand，andasecret，thoughremorseful，convictionthataslongasRogerhadapennyhisbrotherwassuretohavehalfofit，madehimmorereluctantthanevertoirritatehisfatherbyarevelationofhissecret。’Notjustyet，notjustatpresent，’hekeptsayingbothtoRogerandtohimself。’Byandby，ifwehaveaboy，IwillcallitRoger’—andthenvisionsofpoeticalandromanticreconciliationsbroughtaboutbetweenfatherandson，throughthemediumofachild，theoffspringofaforbiddenmarriage，becamestillmorevividlypossibletohim，andatanyrateitwasastaving—offofanunpleasantthing。HeatonedtohimselffortakingsomuchofRoger’sfellowshipmoneybyreflectingthat，ifRogermarried，hewouldlosethissourceofrevenue；yetOsbornewasthrowingnoimpedimentinthewayofthisevent，ratherforwardingitbypromotingeverypossiblemeansofhisbrother’sseeingtheladyofhislove。Osborneendedhisreflectionsbyconvincinghimselfofhisowngenerosity。
　　chapter30CHAPTERXXXOLDWAYSANDNEWWAYSMrPrestonwasnowinstalledinhisnewhouseatHollingford；MrSheepshankshavingenteredintodignifiedidlenessatthehouseofhismarrieddaughter，wholivedinthecountytown。Hissuccessorhadplungedwithenergyintoallmannerofimprovements；andamongothershefelltodrainingapieceofoutlyingwasteandunreclaimedlandofLordCumnor’s，whichwasclosetoSquireHamley’sproperty；thatverypieceforwhichhehadhadtheGovernmentgrant，butwhichnowlayneglected，andonlyhalf—drained，withstacksofmossytiles，andlinesofup—turnedfurrowstellingofabortiveplans。
　　Itwasnotoftenthatthesquirerodeinthisdirectionnow—a—days；butthecottageofamanwhohadbeenthesquire’sgamekeeperinthosemoreprosperousdayswhentheHamleyscouldaffordtopreserve，wasclosetotherush—grownground。Thisoldservantandtenantwasill，andhadsentamessageuptotheHall，askingtoseethesquire；nottorevealanysecret，ortosayanythingparticular，butonlyfromthefeudalloyalty，whichmadeitseemtothedyingmanasifitwouldbeacomforttoshakethehand，andlookoncemoreintotheeyesofthelordandmasterwhomhehadserved，andwhoseancestorshisownforbearshadservedforsomanygenerations。
　　AndthesquirewasasfullyaliveasoldSilastotheclaimsofthetiethatexistedbetweenthem。Thoughhehatedthethought，and，stillmore，shouldhatethesightofthepieceofland，onthesideofwhichSilas’scottagestood，thesquireorderedhishorse，androdeoffwithinhalf—an—hourofreceivingthemessage。Ashedrewnearthespothethoughtheheardthesoundoftools，andthehumofmanyvoices，justasheusedtohearthemayearortwobefore。Helistenedwithsurprise。Yes。Insteadofthestillsolitudehehadexpected，therewastheclinkofiron，theheavygradualthudofthefallofbarrows—fullofsoil—thecryandshoutoflabourers。Butnotonhisland—betterworthexpenseandtroublebyfarthanthereedyclaycommononwhichthemenwere，infact，employed。HeknewitwasLordCumnor’sproperty；andheknewLordCumnorandhisfamilyhadgoneupintheworld（’theWhigrascals！’），bothinwealthandinstation，astheHamleyshadgonedown。Butallthesame—inspiteoflongknownfacts，andinspiteofreason—thesquire’sreadyangerrosehighatthesightofhisneighbourdoingwhathehadbeenunabletodo，andheaWhig；
　　andhisfamilyonlyinthecountysinceQueenAnne’stime。Hewentsofarastowonderwhethertheymightnot—thelabourershemeant—availthemselvesofhistiles，lyingsoconvenientlyclosetohand。Allthesethoughts，regrets，andwonderswereinhismindasherodeuptothecottagehewasboundto，andgavehishorseinchargetoalittlelad，whohadhithertofoundhismorning’sbusinessandamusementinplayingat’houses’withastillyoungersister，withsomeofthesquire’sneglectedtiles。ButhewasoldSilas’sgrandson，andhemighthavebatteredtheruderedearthenwaretopieces—awholestack—onebyone，andthesquirewouldhavesaidlittleornothing。ItwasonlythathewouldnotspareonetoalabourerofLordCumnor’s。No！notone。OldSilaslayinasortofcloset，openingoutofthefamilyliving—room。
　　Thesmallwindowthatgaveitlightlookedrightontothe’moor，’asitwascalled；andbyclaythecheckcurtainwasdrawnasidesothathemightwatchtheprogressofthelabour。Everythingabouttheoldmanwasclean，ifcoarse；and，withDeath，theleveller，socloseathand，itwasthelabourerwhomadethefirstadvances，andputouthishornyhandtothesquire。’Ithoughtyou’dcome，squire。Yourfathercamefortoseemyfatherashelaya—dying。’’Come，come，myman！’saidthesquire，easilyaffected，ashealwayswas。
　　’Don’ttalkofdying，weshallsoonhaveyouout，neverfear。They’vesentyouupsomesoupfromtheHall，asIbade’em，haven’tthey？’’Ay，ay，I’vehadallasIcouldwantfortoeatandtodrink。TheyoungsquireandMasterRogerwashereyesterday。’’Yes，Iknow。’’ButI’madealnearerHeavento—day，Iam。IshouldlikeyoutolookafterthecoversintheWestSpinney，squire；themgorse，youknow，whereth’
　　oldfoxhadherhole—herasgive’emsomanyarun。You’llmindit，squire，thoughyouwasbutalad。Icouldlaughtothinkonhertricksyet。’And，withaweakattemptatalaugh，hegothimselfintoaviolentfitofcoughing，whichalarmedthesquire，whothoughthewouldnevergethisbreathagain。
　　Hisdaughter—in—lawcameinatthesound，andtoldthesquirethathehadthesecoughing—boutsveryfrequently，andthatshethoughthewouldgooffinoneofthembeforelong。Thisopinionofherswasspokensimplyoutbeforetheoldman，whonowlaygaspingandexhausteduponhispillow。
　　Poorpeopleacknowledgetheinevitablenessandtheapproachofdeathinamuchmorestraightforwardmannerthaniscustomaryamongmoreeducatedfolk。Thesquirewasshockedatthehard—heartedness，asheconsideredit；buttheoldmanhimselfhadreceivedmuchtenderkindnessinactionfromhisdaughter—in—law；andwhatshehadjustsaidwasnomorenewstohimthanthefactthatthesunwouldriseto—morrow。Hewasmoreanxioustogoonwithhisstory。’Themnavvies—Icall’emnavviesbecausesomeon’emisstrangers，thoughsomeon’emisth’menaswasturnedoffyourownworks，squire，whentherecameorderstostop’emlastfall—they’rea—pullingupgorseandbrushtolighttheirfireforwarminguptheirmesses。It’salongwayofftotheirhomes，andtheymostlydinehere；andthere’llbenothingofacoverleft，ifyoudon’tseeafter’em。IthoughtIshouldliketotellyeaforeIdied。Parson’sbeenhere；butIdidnatellhim。He’sallfortheearl’sfolk，andhe’dnotha’heeded。It’stheearlasputhimintohischurch，Ireckon，forhesaidwhatafinethingitwerefortoseesomuchemploymenta—giventothepoor，andheneversaidnoughto’th’sortwhenyourworkswereagait，squire。’Thislongspeechhadbeeninterruptedbymanyacoughandgaspforbreath；
　　andhavingdeliveredhimselfofwhatwasonhismind，heturnedhisfacetothewall，andappearedtobegoingtosleep。Presentlyherousedhimselfwithastart。’IknowIfloggedhimwell，Idid。Buthewereafterpheasants’eggs，andIdidn’tknowhewereanorphan。Lord，forgiveme！’’He’sthinkingonDavidMorton，thecripple，asusedtogoabouttrappingvermin，’whisperedthewoman。’Why，hediedlongago—twentyyear，Ishouldthink，’repliedthesquire。’Ay，butwhengrandfathergoesoffi’thiswaytosleepafteraboutoftalkingheseemstobedreamingonoldtimes。He’llnotwakenupyet，sir；
　　you’dbestsitdownifyou’dliketostay，’shecontinued，asshewentintothehouse—placeanddustedachairwithherapron。’Hewasveryparticularinbiddingmewakehimifhewereasleep，andyouorMrRogerwastocall。
　　MrRogersaidhe’dbecomingagainthismorning—buthe’lllikelysleepanhourormore，ifhe’sletalone。’’IwishI’dsaidgood—by，Ishouldliketohavedonethat。’’Hedropsoffsosudden，’saidthewoman。’Butifyou’dbebetterpleasedtohavesaidit，squire，I’llwakenhimupabit。’’No，no！’thesquirecalledoutasthewomanwasgoingtobeasgoodasherword。’I’llcomeagain，perhapsto—morrow。AndtellhimIwassorry；
　　forIamindeed。AndbesureandsendtotheHallforanythingyouwant！
　　MrRogeriscoming，ishe？He’llbringmewordhowheis，lateron。Ishouldliketohavebiddenhimgood—by。’So，givingsixpencetothechildwhohadheldhishorse，thesquiremounted。
　　Hesatestillamoment，lookingatthebusyworkgoingonbeforehim，andthenathisownhalf—completeddrainage。Itwasabitterpill。HehadobjectedtoborrowingfromGovernment，inthefirstinstance；andthenhiswifehadpersuadedhimtothestep；andafteritwasoncetaken，hewasasproudascouldbeoftheonlyconcessiontothespiritofprogressheevermadeinhislife。Hehadreadandstudiedthesubjectprettythoroughly，ifalsoveryslowly，duringthetimehiswifehadbeeninfluencinghim。Hewastolerablywellupinagriculture，ifinnothingelse；andatonetimehehadtakentheleadamongtheneighbouringlandowners，whenhefirstbegantile—drainage。InthosedayspeopleusedtospeakofSquireHamley’shobby；andatmarketordinaries，orcountydinners，theyratherdreadedsettinghimoffonlongrepetitionsofargumentsfromthedifferentpamphletsonthesubjectwhichhehadread。Andnowtheproprietorsallaroundhimweredraining—draining；hisinteresttoGovernmentwasrunningonallthesame，thoughhisworkswerestopped，andhistilesdeterioratinginvalue。Itwasnotasoothingconsideration，andthesquirewasalmostreadytoquarrelwithhisshadow。Hewantedaventforhisill—humour；andsuddenlyrememberingthedevastationonhiscovers，whichhehadheardaboutnotaquarterofanhourbefore，herodeuptothemenbusyatworkonLordCumnor’sland。JustbeforehegotuptothemheencounteredMrPreston，alsoonhorseback，cometooverlookhislabourers。Thesquiredidnotknowhimpersonally，butfromtheagent’smannerofspeaking，andthedeferencethatwasevidentlypaidtohim，MrHamleysawthathewasaresponsibleperson。Soheaddressedtheagent，—’Ibegyourpardon，Isupposeyouarethemanageroftheseworks？’MrPrestonreplied，—’Certainly。Iamthatandmanyotherthingsbesides，atyourservice。IhavesucceededMrSheepshanksinthemanagementofmylord’sproperty。MrHamleyofHamley，Ibelieve？’Thesquirebowedstiffly。Hedidnotlikehisnametobeaskedorpresumeduponinthatmanner。Anequalmightconjecturewhohewas，orrecognizehim，but，tillheannouncedhimself，aninferiorhadnorighttodomorethanaddresshimrespectfullyas’sir。’Thatwasthesquire’scodeofetiquette。’IamMrHamleyofHamley。IsupposeyouareasyetignorantoftheboundaryofLordCumnor’sland，andsoIwillinformyouthatmypropertybeginsatthepondyonder—justwhereyouseetheriseintheground。’’Iamperfectlyacquaintedwiththatfact，MrHamley，’saidMrPreston，alittleannoyedattheignoranceattributedtohim。’ButmayIinquirewhymyattentioniscalledtoitjustnow？’Thesquirewasbeginningtoboilover；buthetriedtokeephistemperin。Theeffortwasverymuchtoberespected，foritwasagreatone。Therewassomethinginthehandsomeandwell—dressedagent’stoneandmannerinexpressiblyirritatingtothesquire，anditwasnotlessenedbyaninvoluntarycomparisonofthecapitalroadsteronwhichMrPrestonwasmountedwithhisownill—groomedandagedcob。’Ihavebeentoldthatyourmenoutyonderdonotrespecttheseboundaries，butareinthehabitofpluckingupgorsefrommycoverstolighttheirfires。’’Itispossibletheymay！’saidMrPreston，liftinghiseyebrows，hismannerbeingmorenonchalantthanhiswords。’Idaresaytheythinknogreatharmofit。However，I’llinquire。’’Doyoudoubtmyword，sir？’saidthesquire，frettinghismaretillshebegantodanceabout。’ItellyouI’vehearditonlywithinthislasthalf—hour。’’Idon’tmeantodoubtyourword，MrHamley；it’sthelastthingIshouldthinkofdoing。Butyoumustexcusemysayingthattheargumentwhichyouhavetwicebroughtupfortheauthenticityofyourstatement，"thatyouhavehearditwithinthelasthalf—hour，"isnotquitesoforcibleastoprecludethepossibilityofamistake。’’Iwishyou’donlysayinplainlanguagethatyoudoubtmyword，’saidthesquire，clenchingandslightlyraisinghishorsewhip。’Ican’tmakeoutwhatyoumean—youusesomanywords。’’Praydon’tloseyourtemper，sir。IsaidIshouldinquire。Youhavenotseenthemenpullingupgorseyourself，oryouwouldhavenamedit。IsurelymaydoubtthecorrectnessofyourinformantuntilIhavemadesomeinquiry；
　　atanyrate，thatisthecourseIshallpursue，andifitgivesyouoffence，Ishallbesorry，butIshalldoitjustthesame。WhenIamconvincedthatharmhasbeendonetoyourproperty，Ishalltakestepstopreventitforthefuture，andofcourse，inmylord’sname，Ishallpayyoucompensation—itmayprobablyamounttohalf—a—crown。’Headdedtheselastwordsinalowertone，asiftohimself，withaslight，contemptuoussmileonhisface。’Quiet，mare，quiet，’saidthesquire，quiteunawarethathewasthecauseofherimpatientmovementsbythewayhewasperpetuallytighteningherreins；andalso，perhaps，heunconsciouslyaddressedtheinjunctiontohimself。NeitherofthemsawRogerHamley，whowasjustthenapproachingthemwithlong，steadysteps。HehadseenhisfatherfromthedoorofoldSilas’scottage，and，asthepoorfellowwasstillasleep，hewascomingtospeaktohisfather，andwasnearenoughnowtohearthenextwords。’Idon’tknowwhoyouare，butI’veknownland—agentswhoweregentlemen，andI’veknownsomewhowerenot。Youbelongtothislastset，youngman，’
　　saidthesquire，’thatyoudo。Ishouldliketotrymyhorsewhiponyouforyourinsolence。’’Pray，MrHamley，’repliedMrPreston，coolly，’curbyourtemperalittle，andreflect。Ireallyfeelsorrytoseeamanofyourageinsuchapassion’
　　—movingalittlefartheroff，however，butreallymorewithadesiretosavetheirritatedmanfromcarryinghisthreatintoexecution，outofadisliketotheslanderandexcitementitwouldcause，thanfromanypersonaldread。JustatthismomentRogerHamleycamecloseup。Hewaspantingalittle，andhiseyeswereverysternanddark；buthespokequietlyenough。’MrPreston，Icanhardlyunderstandwhatyoumeanbyyourlastwords。
　　But，remember，myfatherisagentlemanofageandposition，andnotaccustomedtoreceiveadviceastothemanagementofhistemperfromyoungmenlikeyou。’’Idesiredtokeephismenoffmyland，’saidthesquiretohisson—hiswishtostandwellinRoger’sopinionrestraininghistemperalittle；
　　butthoughhiswordsmightbealittlecalmer，therewereallothersignsofpassionpresent—thediscolouredcomplexion，thetremblinghands，thefierycloudinhiseyes。’Herefused，anddoubtedmyword。’MrPrestonturnedtoRoger，asifappealingfromPhilipdrunktoPhilipsober，andspokeinatoneofcoolexplanation，which，thoughnotinsolentinwords，wasexcessivelyirritatinginmanner。’Yourfatherhasmisunderstoodme—perhapsitisnowonder，’tryingtoconvey，byalookofintelligenceattheson，hisopinionthatthefatherwasinnostatetohearreason。’Ineverrefusedtodowhatwasjustandright。Ionlyrequiredfurtherevidenceastothepastwrong—doing；yourfathertookoffenceatthis’—andthenheshruggedhisshoulders，andliftedhiseyebrowsinamannerhehadformerlylearntinFrance。’Atanyrate，sir！Icanscarcelyreconcilethemannerandwordstomyfather，whichIheardyouusewhenIfirstcameup，withthedeferenceyououghttohaveshowntoamanofhisageandposition。Astothefactofthetrespass——’’Theyarepullingupallthegorse，Roger—there’llbenocoverwhateverforgamesoon，’putinthesquire。Rogerbowedtohisfather，buttookuphisspeechatthepointitwasatbeforetheinterruption。’Iwillinquireintoitmyselfatacoolermoment；andifIfindthatsuchtrespassordamagehasbeencommitted，ofcourseIshallexpectthatyouwillseeitputastopto。Come，father！IamgoingtoseeoldSilas—
　　perhapsyoudon’tknowthatheisveryill。’Soheendeavouredtowilethesquireawaytopreventfurtherwords。Hewasnotentirelysuccessful。MrPrestonwasenragedbyRoger’scalmanddignifiedmanner，andthrewafterthemthispartingshaft，intheshapeofaloudsoliloquy，—’Position，indeed！Whatarewetothinkofthepositionofamanwhobeginsworkslikethesewithoutcountingthecost，andcomestoastand—still，andhastoturnoffhislabourersjustatthebeginningofwinter，leaving——’Theyweretoofarofftoheartherest。Thesquirewasonthepointofturningbackbeforethis，butRogertookholdofthereinsoftheoldmare，andledheroversomeoftheboggyground，asiftoguideherintosurefooting，but，inreality，becausehewasdeterminedtopreventtherenewalofthequarrel。Itwaswellthatthecobknewhim，andwas，indeed，oldenoughtopreferquietnesstodancing；forMrHamleypluckedhardatthereins，andatlastbrokeoutwithanoath，—’Damnit，Roger！I’mnotachild；Iwon’tbetreatedassuch。Leavego，Isay！’Rogerletgo；theywerenotonfirmground，andhedidnotwishanywatcherstothinkthathewasexercisinganyconstraintoverhisfather；andthisquietobediencetohisimpatientcommandsdidmoretosoothethesquirethananythingelsecouldhaveeffectedjustthen。’IknowIturnedthemoff—whatcouldIdo？I’dnomoremoneyfortheirweeklywages；it’salosstome，asyouknow。Hedoesn’tknow，nooneknows，butIthinkyourmotherwould，howitcutmetoturn’emoffjustbeforewintersetin。Ilayawakemanyanightthinkingofit，andIgavethemwhatIhad—Idid，indeed。Ihadn’tgotmoneytopay’em，butIhadthreebarrencowsfattened，andgaveeveryscrapofmeattothemen，andIlet’emgointothewoodsandgatherwhatwasfallen，andIwinkedattheirbreakingoffoldbranches，andnowtohaveitcastupagainstmebythatcur—thatservant。ButI’llgoonwiththeworks，by——，Iwill，ifonlytospitehim。I’llshowhimwhoIam。Myposition，indeed！AHamleyofHamleytakesahigherpositionthanhismaster。I’llgoonwiththeworks，seeifIdon’t！I’mpayingbetweenoneandtwohundredayearinterestonGovernmentmoney。I’llraisesomemoreifIgototheJews；Osbornehasshownmetheway，andOsborneshallpayforit—heshall。I’llnotputupwithinsults。Youshouldn’thavestoppedme，Roger！IwishtoheavenI’dhorsewhippedthefellow！Hewaslashinghimselfagainintoanimpotentrage，painfultoasontowitness；butjustthenthelittlegrandchildofoldSilas，whohadheldthesquire’shorseduringhisvisittothesickman，camerunningup，breathless，—’Please，sir，please，squire，mammyhas’sentme；grandfatherhaswakenedupsudden，andmammysayshe’sdying，andwouldyoupleasecome；shesayshe’dtakeitasakindcompliment，she’ssure。’Sotheywenttothecottage，thesquirespeakingneveraword，butsuddenlyfeelingasifliftedoutofawhirlwindandsetdowninastillandawfulplace。EndofPartThreechapter31ELIZABETHGASKELLWIVESANDDAUGHTERSPARTIV（ChaptersXXXI—XL）CHAPTERXXXIAPASSIVECOQUETTEItisnottobesupposedthatsuchanencounterasMrPrestonhadjusthadwithRogerHamleysweetenedtheregardsinwhichthetwoyoungmenhenceforwardheldeachother。Theyhadbarelyspokentoeachotherbefore，andbutseldommet；fortheland—agent’semploymenthadhithertolainatAshcombe，somesixteenorseventeenmilesfromHamley。HewasolderthanRogerbyseveralyears；butduringthetimehehadbeeninthecountyOsborneandRogerhadbeenatschoolandatcollege。MrPrestonwaspreparedtodisliketheHamleysformanyunreasonablereasons。