at had a will of his own; and in the next
place, he thought the rector ought to visit the spot on such an
occasion. "Or Mrs. Clavering will drive you," said the rector,
remembering Mr. Saul's objection to the pony. Still Mr. Saul looked
unhappy. Mr. Saul was very tall and very thin, with a tall thin head,
and weak eyes, and a sharp, well-cut nose, and, so to say, no lips, and
very white teeth, with no beard, and a well-cut chin. His face was so
thin that his cheek bones obtruded themselves unpleasantly. He wore a
long rusty black coat, and a high rusty black waistcoat, and trousers
that were brown with dirty roads and general ill-usage. Nevertheless, it
never occurred to any one that Mr. Saul did not look like a gentleman,
not even to himself to whom no ideas whatever on that subject ever
presented themselves. But that he was a gentleman I think he knew well
enough, and was able to carry himself before Sir Hugh and his wife with
quite as much ease as he could do in the rectory. Once or twice he had
dined at the great house; but Lady Clavering had declared him to be a
bore, and Sir Hugh had called him "that most offensive of all animals, a
clerical prig." It had therefore been decided that he was not to be
asked to the great house any more. It may be as well to state here, as
elsewhere, that Mr. Clavering very rarely went to his nephew's table. On
certain occasions he did do so, so that there might be no recognized
quarrel between him and Sir Hugh; but such visits were few and far
between.

After a few more words from Mr. Saul, and a glance from his wife's eye,
Mr. Clavering consented to go to Cumberly Green, though there was
nothing he liked so little as a morning spent with his curate. When he
had started, Harry told his mother also of his final decision. "I shall
go to Stratton to-morrow and settle it all."

"And what does papa say?" asked the mother.

"Just what he has said before. It is not so much that he wishes me to be
a clergyman, as that he does not wish me to have lost all my time up to
this."

"It is more than that, I think, Harry," said his elder sister, a tall
girl, less pretty than her sister, apparently less careful of her
prettiness, very quiet, or, as some said, demure, but known to be good
as gold by all who knew her well.

"I doubt it," said Harry, stoutly. "But, however that may be, a man must
choose for himself."

"We all thought you had chosen," said Mary.

"If it is settled," said the mot