tage. Doubtless the two had understood each
other; but the absolute naked horror of the surmised facts had been
kept delicately out of sight. But such delicacy was not to Aby's
taste. Sharp, short, and decisive; that was his motto. No "longae
ambages" for him. The whip was in his hand, as he thought, and he
could best master the team by using it.

And yet Sir Thomas lived and bore it. As he sat there half stupefied,
numbed as it were by the intensity of his grief, he wondered at his
own power of endurance. "She is Mrs. M., you know; ain't she now?" He
could sit there and hear that, and yet live through it. So much he
could do, and did do; but as for speaking, that was beyond him.

Young Mollett thought that this "freshening up of the old gentleman"
seemed to answer; so he continued. "Yes, Sir Thomas, your son's my
favourite, I tell you fairly. But then, you know, if I backs the
favourite, in course I likes to win upon him. How is it to be, now?"
and then he paused for an answer, which, however, was not
forthcoming.

"You see you haven't been dealing quite on the square with the
governor. You two is, has it were, in a boat together. We'll call
that boat the Lady F., or the Mrs. M., which ever you like;"--and
then Aby laughed, for the conceit pleased him--"but the hearnings of
that boat should be divided hequally. Ain't that about the ticket?
heh, Sir Thomas? Come, don't be down on your luck. A little quiet
talkee-talkee between you and me'll soon put this small matter on a
right footing."

"What is it you want? tell me at once," at last groaned the poor man.

"Well now, that's something like; and I'll tell you what we want.
There are only two of us you know, the governor and I; and very
lonely we are, for it's a sad thing for a man to have the wife of his
bosom taken from him."

Then there was a groan which struck even Aby's ear; but Sir Thomas
was still alive and listening, and so he went on.

"This property here, Sir Thomas, is a good twelve thousand a year. I
know hall about it as though I'd been 'andling it myself for the last
ten years. And a great deal of cutting there is in twelve thousand
a year. You've 'ad your whack out of it, and now we wants to have
hourn. That's Henglish, hain't it?"

"Did your father send you here, Mr. Mollett?"

"Never you mind who sent me, Sir Thomas. Perhaps he did, and perhaps
he didn't. Perhaps I came without hany sending. Perhaps I'm more
hup to this sort of work than he i