profoundly on the working morality of
his times, had the less difficulty in accepting it. Of violating it he
had practically no opportunity, and this rendered his position stronger.
It was from habit and tradition rather than from principle and conviction
that he was a man of good moral character.

And as he sat reading this note over and over, he suffered from a sense
of nausea.

It was couched in these terms:

"THE FIRS,
"May 20.
"DEAR SIR,

"You may or may not have heard that I have made your son, Mr. George
Pendyce, correspondent in a divorce suit against my wife. Neither for
your sake nor your son's, but for the sake of Mrs. Pendyce, who is the
only woman in these parts that I respect, I will withdraw the suit if
your son will give his word not to see my wife again.

"Please send me an early answer.
"I am,
"Your obedient servant,

"JASPAR BELLEW."

The acceptance of tradition (and to accept it was suitable to the
Squire's temperament) is occasionally marred by the impingement of
tradition on private life and comfort. It was legendary in his class
that young men's peccadilloes must be accepted with a certain indulgence.
They would, he said, be young men. They must, he would remark, sow their
wild oats. Such was his theory. The only difficulty he now had was in
applying it to his own particular case, a difficulty felt by others in
times past, and to be felt again in times to come. But, since he was not
a philosopher, he did not perceive the inconsistency between his theory
and his dismay. He saw his universe reeling before that note, and he was
not a man to suffer tamely; he felt that others ought to suffer too. It
was monstrous that a fellow like this Bellew, a loose fish, a drunkard, a
man who had nearly run over him, should have it in his power to trouble
the serenity of Worsted Skeynes. It was like his impudence to bring such
a charge against his son. It was like his d----d impudence! And going
abruptly to the bell, he trod on his spaniel's ear.

"D---n the dog! Oh, poor fellow, John!" But the spaniel John, convinced
at last that he had sinned, hid himself in a far corner whence he could
see nothing, and pressed his chin closely to the ground.

"Ask your mistress to come here."

Standing by the hearth, waiting for