aid he, in puzzled tones,
handing the missive.

"Ay, lad," answered the sailor, cheerily. "The fact is, my good Renny,
that in that room of Sir Adrian's where you ensconced me for safety
from that most wonderful specimen of her sex (I refer to your master's
worthy aunt), it was impossible to avoid overhearing many of her
remarks--magnificent voice for a storm at sea, eh? Never mind what it
was all about, my good man; what I heard was good news. Ah!"
directing his attention to the note; "his honour does not say when he
will return, but will send back the gig immediately; and you, M.
Potter, are to look after me for as long as I choose to stop here."

Rene required no reflection to realise that anything in the shape of
good news which took his master back to his estate must be good news
indeed; and his broad face promptly mirrored, in the broadest of
grins, the captain's own satisfaction.

"For sure, we will try to take care of M. the captain, as well as if
his honour himself was present. He told me you were to be master
here."

"Make it so. I should like some dinner as soon as possible, and one of
my bro----of Sir Adrian's best bottles. It's a poor heart that never
rejoices. Meanwhile, I want to inspect your ruins and your caves in
detail, if you will pilot me, Renny. This is a handy sort of an old
Robinson Crusoe place for hiding and storing, is it not?"

CHAPTER XIX

A JUNIOR'S OPINION

A rarely failing characteristic of very warm-hearted and strongly
impulsive people is their inability of graduating their likes and
dislikes; a state of mind which cannot fail to lead to frequent
alterations of temper.

On more than one occasion, since the domineering old lady had started
upon her peregrinations, had her favour for the two brothers undergone
reversal; but the ground Rupert gained by Adrian's offences was never
of safe tenure. At the present hour, under the elation of her
victorious sally upon the hermit's pessimistic entrenchments--the only
thing in him of which she disapproved--he at once resumed the warm
place she liked to keep for him in her heart. And as a consequence
"Master Rupert," as she contemptuously called the "locum tenens
Squire," who, in the genealogical order of things, should have been a
person of small importance, fell promptly into his original state of
disgrace.

During the drive from the village (where she had ordered the carriage
to await her return) to the gates of Pulwick, Mis