Sir Louis was now twenty-three years old, and was a great deal too
knowing to allow himself to be kept under the doctor's thumb. It
had, indeed, become his plan to rebel against his guardian in almost
everything. He had at first been decently submissive, with the view
of obtaining increased supplies of ready money; but he had been sharp
enough to perceive that, let his conduct be what it would, the doctor
would keep him out of debt; but that the doing so took so large a sum
that he could not hope for any further advances. In this respect Sir
Louis was perhaps more keen-witted than Dr Thorne.

Mary, when she saw the carriage, at once ran up to her own bedroom.
The doctor, who had been with her in the drawing-room, went down to
meet his ward, but as soon as he saw the cockade he darted almost
involuntarily into his shop and shut the door. This protection,
however, lasted only for a moment; he felt that decency required him
to meet his guest, and so he went forth and faced the enemy.

"I say," said Joe, speaking to Janet, who stood curtsying at the
gate, with Bridget, the other maid, behind her, "I say, are there
any chaps about the place to take these things--eh? come, look sharp
here."

It so happened that the doctor's groom was not on the spot, and
"other chaps" the doctor had none.

"Take those things, Bridget," he said, coming forward and offering
his hand to the baronet. Sir Louis, when he saw his host, roused
himself slowly from the back of his carriage. "How do, doctor?" said
he. "What terrible bad roads you have here! and, upon my word, it's
as cold as winter:" and, so saying, he slowly proceeded to descend.

Sir Louis was a year older than when we last saw him, and, in his
generation, a year wiser. He had then been somewhat humble before the
doctor; but now he was determined to let his guardian see that he
knew how to act the baronet; that he had acquired the manners of a
great man; and that he was not to be put upon. He had learnt some
lessons from Jenkins, in London, and other friends of the same sort,
and he was about to profit by them.

The doctor showed him to his room, and then proceeded to ask after
his health. "Oh, I'm right enough," said Sir Louis. "You mustn't
believe all that fellow Greyson tells you: he wants me to take salts
and senna, opodeldoc, and all that sort of stuff; looks after his
bill, you know--eh? like all the rest of you. But I won't have
it;--not at any price; and then he wri