, as though minutes were too valuable to be lost. But now he
wandered away like one distraught, and the stable boy knew that
something was wrong. "I thout he was a thinken of the white cow as
choked 'erself with the tunnup that was skipped in the chopping,"
said the boy, as he spoke of his master afterwards to the old groom.
At last, however, a thought seemed to strike Belton. "Do you get on
Brag," he said to the boy, "and ride off to Goldingham Corner, and
tell Daniel to bring the horse home again. I shan't hunt to-day. And
I think I shall go away from home. If so, tell him to be sure the
horses are out every morning;--and tell him to stop their beans. I
mightn't hunt again for the next month." Then he returned into the
house, and went to the parlour in which his sister was sitting. "I
shan't go out to-day," he said.

"I thought you would not, Will," she answered.

"Not that I see any harm in it."

"I don't say that there is any harm, but it is as well on such
occasions to do as others do."

"That's humbug, Mary."

"No, Will; I do not think that. When any practice has become the
fixed rule of the society in which we live, it is always wise to
adhere to that rule, unless it call upon us to do something that is
actually wrong. One should not offend the prejudices of the world,
even if one is quite sure that they are prejudices."

"It hasn't been that that has brought me back, Mary. I'll tell you
what. I think I'll go down to Belton--after all."

His sister did not know what to say in answer to this. Her chief
anxiety was, of course, on behalf of her brother. That he should be
made to forget Clara Amedroz, if that were only possible, was her
great desire; and his journey at such a time as this down to Belton
was not the way to accomplish such forgetting. And then she felt that
Clara might very possibly not wish to see him. Had Will simply been
her cousin, such a visit might be very well; but he had attempted to
be more than her cousin, and therefore it would probably not be well.
Captain Aylmer might not like it; and Mary felt herself bound to
consider even Captain Aylmer's likings in such a matter. And yet she
could not bear to oppose him in anything. "It would be a very long
journey," she said.

"What does that signify?"

"And then it might so probably be for nothing."

"Why should it be for nothing?"

"Because--"

"Because what? Why don't you speak out? You need not be afraid of
hurting me. Nothing tha