with Farnaby and family,
notwithstanding?"

"I have motives for being friendly with them, which--which I haven't had
time to explain to you yet."

Rufus stretched out his long legs on the floor, and fixed his shrewd
grave eyes steadily on Amelius.

"My friend," he said, quietly, "in respect of personal appearance and
pleasing elasticity of spirits, I find you altered for the worse, I do.
It may be Liver, or it may be Love. I reckon, now I think of it, you're
too young yet for Liver. It's the brown miss--that's what 'tis. I hate
that girl, sir, by instinct."

"A nice way of talking of a young lady you never saw!" Amelius broke
out.

Rufus smiled grimly. "Go ahead!" he said. "If you can get vent in
quarrelling with me, go ahead, my son."

He looked round the room again, with his hands in his pockets,
whistling. Descending to the table in due course of time, his quick eye
detected a photograph placed on the open writing desk which Amelius had
been using earlier in the day. Before it was possible to stop him,
the photograph was in his hand. "I believe I've got her likeness," he
announced. "I do assure you I take pleasure in making her acquaintance
in this sort of way. Well, now, I declare she's a columnar creature!
Yes, sir; I do justice to your native produce--your fine fleshy beef-fed
English girl. But I tell you this: after a child or two, that sort runs
to fat, and you find you have married more of her than you bargained
for. To what lengths may you have proceeded, Amelius, with this splendid
and spanking person?"

Amelius was just on the verge of taking offence. "Speak of her
respectfully," he said, "if you expect me to answer you."

Rufus stared in astonishment. "I'm paying her all manner of
compliments," he protested, "and you're not satisfied yet. My friend,
I still find something about you, on this occasion, which reminds me
of meat cut against the grain. You're almost nasty--you are! The air of
London, I reckon, isn't at all the thing for you. Well, it don't matter
to me; I like you. Afloat or ashore, I like you. Do you want to know
what I should do, in your place, if I found myself steering a little too
nigh to the brown miss? I should--well, to put it in one word, I should
scatter. Where's the harm, I'll ask you, if you try another girl or two,
before you make your mind up. I shall be proud to introduce you to our
slim and snaky sort at Coolspring. Yes. I mean what I say; and I'll go
back with you ac