en his father was angry.... Certainly he had added to his
stature in the parlour at Froggatt.

The old man poured out a glass of wine and drank it. His face was
flushed high, and he was using more words than usual.

"Well, sir, there are other affairs we must speak of; and then no more
of them. I wish to know your meaning for the time to come. There must be
no more fooling this way and that. I shall pay no fines for you--mark
that! If you must stand on your own feet, stand on them.... Now then!"

"Do you mean, am I coming to church with you, sir?"

"I mean, who is to pay your fines?... Miss Marjorie?"

Robin set his teeth at the sneer.

"I have not yet been fined, sir."

"Now do you take me for a fool? D'you think they'll let you off? I was
speaking--"

The old man stopped.

"Yes, sir?"

The other wheeled his face on him.

"If you will have it," he said, "I was speaking to my two good friends
who dined here on Sunday. I was plain with them and they were plain with
me. 'I shall not pay for my brat of a son,' I said. 'Then he must pay
for himself,' said they, 'unless we lay him by the heels.' 'Not in my
house, I hope,' I said; and they laughed at that. We were very merry
together."

"Yes, sir?"

"Good God! have I a fool for a son? I ask you again, Who is it to pay?"

"When will they demand it?"

"Why, they may demand it next week, if they will! You were not at church
on Sunday!"

"I was not in Matstead," said the lad.

"But--"

"And Mr. Barton will not, I think--"

The old man struck the table suddenly and violently.

"I have dropped words enough," he cried. "Where's the use of it? If you
think they will let you alone, I tell you they will not. There are to be
doings before Christmas, at latest; and what then?"

Then Robin drew his breath sharply between his teeth; and knew that one
more step had been passed, that had separated him from that which he
feared.... He had come just now, still hesitating. Still there had been
passing through his mind hopes and ideas of what his father might do for
him. He knew well enough that he would never pay the fines, amounting
sometimes to as much as twenty pounds a month; but he had thought that
perhaps his father would give him a sum of money and let him go to fend
for himself; that he might help him even to a situation somewhere; and
now hope had died so utterly that he did not even dare speak of it. And
he had said "No" to Anthony; he said to himself at le