id pleasantly.

"It was passing kind, gracious mistress," he responded, forcing himself
to speak naturally and in agreeable tones, "to remember an insignificant
country bumpkin like myself ... and you see I have presumed on your
lavish hospitality and brought my young friend, Master Richard Lambert,
to whom you extended so gracious an invitation."

He turned to Lambert, who a little dazed to find himself in such
brilliant company, had somewhat timidly kept close to the heels of his
employer. He thought Mistress Endicott vulgar and overdressed the moment
he felt bold enough to raise his eyes to hers. But he chided himself
immediately for thus daring to criticize his betters.

His horizon so far had been very limited; only quite vaguely had he
heard of town and Court life. The little cottage where dwelt the old
Quakeress who had brought him and his brother up, and the tumble-down,
dilapidated house of Sir Marmaduke de Chavasse were the only habitations
in which he was intimate. The neighboring Kentish Squires, Sir Timothy
Harrison, Squire Pyncheon and Sir John Boatfield, were the only
presentations of "gentlemen" he had ever seen.

Sir Marmaduke de Chavasse had somewhat curtly given him orders the day
before, that he was to accompany him to London, whither he himself had
to go to consult his lawyer. Lambert had naturally obeyed, without
murmur, but with vague trepidations at thought of this, his first
journey into the great town.

Sir Marmaduke had been very kind, had given him a new suit of grogram,
lined with flowered silk, which Lambert thought the richest garment he
had ever seen. He was very loyal in his thoughts to his employer,
bearing with the latter's violence and pandering to his fits of
ill-humor for the sake of the home which Sir Marmaduke had provided for
him.

To Lambert's mind, Sir Marmaduke's kindness to him was wholly
gratuitous. His own position as secretary being but a sinecure, the
young man readily attributed de Chavasse's interest in himself to innate
goodness of heart, and desire to help the poor orphan lad.

This estimate of his employer's character Richard Lambert had not felt
any cause to modify. He continued to serve him faithfully, to look after
his interests in and around Acol Court to the best of his ability; above
all he continued to be whole-heartedly grateful. He was so absolutely
conscious of the impassable social barrier which existed between himself
and the rich daughter of the