on him, walked on quickly, and changed the conversation.

Chapter XI

Sir Hugh and His Brother Archie

There was a numerous gathering of Claverings in the drawing-room of the
great house when the family from the rectory arrived, comprising three
generations; for the nurse was in the room holding the heir in her arms.
Mrs. Clavering and Fanny of course inspected the child at once, as they
were bound to do, while Lady Clavering welcomed Florence Burton. Archie
spoke a word or two to his uncle, and Sir Hugh vouchsafed to give one
finger to his cousin Harry by way of shaking hands with him. Then there
came a feeble squeak from the infant, and there was a cloud at once upon
Sir Hugh's brow. "Hermione," he said, "I wish you wouldn't have the
child in here. It's not the place for him. He's always cross. I've said
a dozen times I wouldn't have him down here just before dinner." Then a
sign was made to the nurse, and she walked off with her burden. It was a
poor, rickety, unalluring bairn, but it was all that Lady Clavering had,
and she would fain have been allowed to show it to her relatives, as
other mothers are allowed to do.

"Hugh," said his wife, "shall I introduce you to Miss Burton?"

Then Sir Hugh came forward and shook hands with his new guest, with some
sort of apology for his remissness, while Harry stood by, glowering at
him, with offence in his eye. "My father is right," he had said to
himself when his cousin failed to notice Florence on her first entrance
into the room; "he is impertinent as well as disagreeable. I don't care
for quarrels in the parish, and so I shall let him know."

"Upon my word she's a doosed good-looking little thing," said Archie,
coming up to him, after having also shaken hands with her; "doosed
good-looking, I call her."

"I'm glad you think so," said Harry, dryly.

"Let's see; where was it you picked her up? I did hear, but I forget."

"I picked her up, as you call it, at Stratton, where her father lives."

"Oh, yes; I know. He's the fellow that coached you in your new business,
isn't he? By-the-by, Harry, I think you've made a mess of it in changing
your line. I'd have stuck to my governor's shop if I'd been you. You'd
got through all the d----d fag of it, and there's the living that has
always belonged to a Clavering."

"What would your brother have said if I had asked him to give it to me?"

"He wouldn't have given it of course. Nobody does give anything to
anyb