t forgotten the tone of
the Rector's voice in the smoking-room on the night of the dance. George
was a man who could remember as well as another. In the corner of the
old fly, that rattled and smelled of stables and stale tobacco, he fixed
his moody eyes on the driver's back and the ears of the old grey horse,
and never stirred till they set him down at the hall door.

He went at once to his room, sending word that he had come for the
night. His mother heard the news with feelings of joy and dread, and
she dressed quickly for dinner, that she might see him the sooner.
The Squire came into her room just as she was going down. He had been
engaged all day at Sessions, and was in one of the moods of apprehension
as to the future which but seldom came over him.

"Why didn't you keep Vigil to dinner?" he said. "I could have given him
things for the night. I wanted to talk to him about insuring my life;
he knows, about that. There'll be a lot of money wanted, to pay my
death-duties. And if the Radicals get in I shouldn't be surprised if
they put them up fifty per cent."

"I wanted to keep him," said Mrs. Pendyce, "but he went away without
saying good-bye."

"He's an odd fellow!"

For some moments Mr. Pendyce made reflections on this breach of manners.
He had a nice standard of conduct in all social affairs.

"I'm having trouble with that man Peacock again. He's the most
pig-headed----What are you in such a hurry for, Margery?"

"George is here!"

"George? Well, I suppose he can wait till dinner. I have a lot of things
I want to tell you about. We had a case of arson to-day. Old Quarryman
was away, and I was in the chair. It was that fellow Woodford that we
convicted for poaching--a very gross case. And this is what he does when
he comes out. They tried to prove insanity. It's the rankest case of
revenge that ever came before me. We committed him, of course. He'll get
a swinging sentence. Of all dreadful crimes, arson is the most----"

Mr. Pendyce could find no word to characterise his opinion of this
offence, and drawing his breath between his teeth, passed into his
dressing-room. Mrs. Pendyce hastened quietly out, and went to her son's
room. She found George in his shirtsleeves, inserting the links of his
cuffs.

"Let me do that for you, my dear boy! How dreadfully they starch your
cuffs! It is so nice to do something for you sometimes!"

George answered her:

"Well, Mother, and how have you been?"

Over Mrs.