in his chair and flicked the ash from his cigar.
"Imprimis, whether Bernard has a trout rod I can borrow. I
didn't know there was any fishing to be had or I'd have brought
my own."

"You can have mine: I scarcely ever touch a line now. Certainly
not in hay-harvest! I'll send it down for you the first thing--"
Was it possible that he was as insouciant as he professed to be?

"Oh, thanks very much," Hyde cut in swiftly, but I couldn't
borrow yours. I'll find out if Clowes can't lend me one."

"As you please." Stafford left it at that and passed on. "But I
don't fancy Bernard has ever thrown a line in his life, he is too
energetic to make a fisherman. By the way, I suppose you won't
be staying any length of time at Wanhope?"

Lawrence smiled, the wish was father to the thought: that was
more like the Val of old times!

"That depends--mainly on my cousin, to be frank: I suspect he'll
soon get sick of having a third person in the house."

"Oh, probably. But you needn't take any notice of that."
Lawrence looked up in surprise. "But, perhaps, that is none of
my business. Or will you let me give you one warning, since
you've asked for a map? Don't be too prompt to take Bernard at
his word. He may be very rude to you and yet not want you to go.
He sacks Barry every few weeks. In fact now I come to think of it
I'm under notice myself, for last time I saw him he told me to
look out for another job. He said what he wanted was a practical
man who knew a little about farming."

"And you stay on? Quite right, if it suits your book."
Unconsciously putting the worst construction on everything Val
said or did, Lawrence's conclusion was that probably Val, an
amateur farmer, was paid, like Barry, twice what he was worth in
the market. "But it wouldn't suit mine. However, I don't
imagine Bernard will try it on with me. I'm not Barry. If he
hits me I shall hit him back."

"Oh, will you?" returned Val, invisibly amused. "I'm not sure
that wouldn't be a good plan. It has at least the merit of
originality. All the same I'm afraid Mrs. Clowes wouldn't like
it, she is a standing obstacle in the way of drastic measures."

"But why do you want me to stay?" Lawrence asked more and more
surprised.

"Well, here is what brought me up tonight, when I knew Bernard
would be on his way to bed. Will you--" he leaned forward, his
hands clasped between his knees--"stick it out, whatever happens,
for a week or two, and keep you