stead of free
Englishmen who farmed their own land, and the lads who had at first
appeared disposed to side with him hesitated. He swung around in the
saddle and looked at them.

"Must I speak twice?" he asked.

He turned again raising the heavy riding crop he carried, and I expected
to see the big horse driven straight at Lyle, but one of the lads seized
his leader's bridle just in time.

"Hold on, sir," he cried, and then while the big horse plunged he flung a
few words at my companion.

"Don't be a fool, Raymond. Get out of this--now!" he cried.

Lyle's face was darkly flushed, and it appeared to cost him an effort to
hold himself in hand.

"We're going, sir," he said. "Loose his bridle, Charley."

The lad did as he was bidden, and Lyle motioned us to withdraw, after
which he once more addressed Carrington.

"You have refused us permission to touch this timber, and I suppose we
must yield to your wishes in this respect," he said. "I'm afraid it's more
than likely, too, that you will object to our putting up the buildings we
have in mind anywhere about Carrington?"

"Your surmises are perfectly correct," replied the Colonel.

"Well," said Lyle, "according to the charter we can overrule your
objections by a three-fourths majority, and I have to give you notice that
I'm going to call a meeting on Thursday next to consider the matter. We
have generally met at the Manor to discuss anything of interest."

Carrington who appeared to have recovered his composure raised his hand in
sign of dismissal.

"Any time you wish in the evening--say six o'clock," he said.

We turned away and left him, but it seemed to me from his manner that he
would not have agreed to the meeting so readily had he not been certain
that it would cost him very little trouble to humiliate the men who called
it. Lyle appeared very thoughtful as we rode away.

"I'm sorry all this has happened, but it was bound to come," he said to
one of his companions. "I may not have been particularly tactful, but,
after all, unless I'd given way altogether I don't see that I could have
handled the matter in any very different way."

The man who rode beside him laughed somewhat ruefully. "No," he admitted,
"you simply can't discuss a point with the Colonel. I'm rather afraid the
thing's going to hurt a good many of us, and it may result in breaking up
the settlement, but the fat's in the fire now, and we must stand fast." He
broke off for a moment with