erefore never quite comfortable at
Glenbogie. But at Merle Park he was within easy reach of London. At
Merle Park he was not obliged to live, from week's end to week's end,
without a sight of Lombard Street. The family might be at Merle Park,
while he might come down on a Friday and remain till Tuesday morning.
That was the plan proposed for Merle Park. As a fact he would spend
four days in town, and only two down in the country. Therefore,
though he spent his so-named holiday at Glenbogie, Merle Park was the
residence which he loved.

In this autumn he went up to London long before his family, and then
found them at Merle Park on the Saturday after their arrival there.
They had gone down on the previous Wednesday. On the Saturday, when
he entered the house, the first thing he saw was Mr. Traffick's hat
in the hall. This was Saturday, 23rd November, and there would be
three months before Parliament would meet! A curse was not muttered,
but just formed between his teeth, as he saw the hat. Sir Thomas, in
his angriest mood, never went so far as quite to mutter his curses.
Will one have to expiate the anathemas which are well kept within
the barrier of the teeth, or only those which have achieved some
amount of utterance? Sir Thomas went on, with a servant at his heels,
chucking about the doors rather violently, till he found Mr. Traffick
alone in the drawing-room. Mr. Traffick had had a glass of sherry and
bitters brought in for his refreshment, and Sir Thomas saw the glass
on the mantelpiece. He never took sherry and bitters himself. One
glass of wine, with his two o'clock mutton chop, sufficed him till
dinner. It was all very well to be a Member of Parliament, but, after
all, Members of Parliament never do anything. Men who work don't
take sherry and bitters! Men who work don't put their hats in other
people's halls without leave from the master of the house! "Where's
your mistress?" said Sir Thomas, to the man, without taking any
notice of his son-in-law. The ladies had only just come in from
driving, were very cold, and had gone up to dress. Sir Thomas went
out of the room, again banging the door, and again taking no notice
of Mr. Traffick. Mr. Traffick put his hand up to the mantelpiece, and
finished his sherry and bitters.

"My dear," said Mr. Traffick to his wife, up in her bed-room, "your
father has come down in one of his tantrums."

"I knew he would," said Augusta.

"But it does not signify the least. Give