Mordacks had temporized during their courtship; but now she was his, and
must learn the great fact. He behaved very well, and made no attempt at
reasoning (which would have been a fatal course), but promptly donned
cloak, boots, and spurs while his horse was being saddled, and then set
off, with his eyes fixed firmly upon business. A crow could scarcely
make less than fifty miles from York to Scargate, and the factor's
trusty roadster had to make up his mind to seventy. So great, however,
is sometimes the centrifugal force of Hymen, that upon the third day Mr.
Mordacks was there, vigorous, vehement, and fit for any business.

When he heard what it was, it liked him well; for he bore a fine grudge
against Lancelot for setting the dogs at him three years ago, when he
came (as an agent for adjoining property) to the house of Yordas,
and when Mr. Jellicorse scorned to meet an illegal meddler with legal
matters. If Mordacks had any fault--and he must have had some, in spite
of his resolute conviction to the contrary--it was that he did not
altogether scorn revenge.

Lives there man, or even woman, capable of describing now the miseries,
the hardships, the afflictions beyond groaning, which, like electric
hail, came down upon the sacred head of Pet? He was in the grasp
of three strong men--his uncle, Mr. Bart, worst of all, that
Mordacks--escape was impossible, lamentation met with laughter, and
passion led to punishment. Even stern Maunder was sorry for him,
although he despised him for feeling it. The only beam of light, the
only spark of pleasure, was his royal uniform; and to know that Insie's
laugh thereat was hollow, and would melt away to weeping when he was out
of sight, together with the sulky curiosity of Maunder, kept him up a
little, in this time of bitter sacrifice.

Enough that he went off, at last, in the claws of that Roman
hippogriff--as Mrs. Carnaby savagely called poor Mordacks--and the
visitor's flag hung half-mast high, and Saracen and the other dogs made
a howling dirge, with such fine hearts (as the poor mother said, between
her sobs) that they got their dinners upon china plates.

Sir Duncan had left before this, and was back under Dr. Upround's
hospitable roof. He had made up his mind to put his fortune, or rather
his own value, to the test, in a place of deep interest to him now, the
heart of the fair Janetta. He knew that, according to popular view, he
was much too old for this young lady; but