ry second word over
his horse's ears.

There was no escape, and they had to hear him out. The man had prepared
his speech, and say it he would. It was not so long as the parson's, but
was quite as flowery in another way, overflowing with respectful
allusions to the deceased master, and with expressions of unbounded
loyalty, obedience, and devotion to the new mistress.

Susie shut her eyes again when she found he was not to be stopped, and
gave herself up for lost. What could Hilton, who must be close behind
waiting in the cold, uncomforted by any food since leaving Berlin, think
of all this? Susie dreaded the moment when she would have to face her.

The inspector finished all he had intended saying, and then, assuming a
more colloquial tone, informed Anna that from the sign-post onward she
would be driving through her own property, and asked permission to ride
by her side the rest of the way. So they had his company for the last
two miles and his conversation, of which there was much; for he had a
ready tongue, and explained things to Anna in a very loud voice as they
went along, expatiating on the magnificence of the crops the previous
summer, and assuring her that the crops of the coming summer would be
even more magnificent, for he had invented a combination of manures
which would give such results that all Pomerania's breath would be taken
away.

The road here was terrible, and the horses could hardly drag the
carriage through the sand. It lurched and heaved from side to side,
creaking and groaning alarmingly. Miss Leech was in imminent peril. Anna
held on with both hands, and hardly had leisure to put in appropriate
_achs_ and _jas_ and questions of a becoming intelligence when the
inspector paused to take breath. She did not like his looks, and wished
that she could follow Susie's example and avoid the necessity of seeing
him by the simple expedient of shutting her eyes. But somehow, she did
not quite know how, responsibilities and obligations were suddenly
pressing heavily upon her. These people had all made up their minds that
she was going to be and do certain things; and though she assured
herself that it did not in the least matter how they had made up their
minds, yet she felt obliged to behave in the way that was expected of
her. She did not want to talk to this unpleasant-looking man, and what
he told her about the crops and their marvellousness was half
unintelligible to her and wholly a bore. Yet she