“My dear follow, you really must not ‘lord’ me any more; I hate it.  I must be plain Scoutbush here among my own people, just as I am in the Guards’ mess-room.  And as for owing me any,—­really, it is we that are in your debt—­to see my sister so happy, and such beautiful children, and so well too—­and altogether—­and Valencia so delighted with your poems—­and, and altogether—­” and there Lord Scoutbush stopped, having hoisted, as he considered, the flag of peace once and for all, and very glad that the thing was over.

Elsley was going to say something in return; but his guest turned the conversation as fast as he could.  “And now, I know you want to be busy, though you are too civil to confess it; and I must be with that old fool Tardrew at ten, to settle accounts:  he’ll scold me if I do not—­the precise old pedant—­just as if I was his own child.  Good-bye.”

“Where are you going, Frederick?” called Lucia, from the window; she had been watching the interview anxiously enough, and could see that it had ended well.

“To old Stot-and-kye at the farm:  do you want anything?”

“No; only I thought you might be going to the yacht; and Valencia would have walked down with you.  She wants to find Major Campbell.”

“I want to scold Major Campbell,” said Valencia, tripping out on the lawn in her walking dress.  “Why has he not been here an hour ago?  I will undertake to say that he was up at four this morning.”

“He waits to be invited, I suppose,” said Scoutbush.

“I suppose I must do it,” said Elsley to himself, sighing.

“Just like his primness,” said Valencia.  “I shall go down and bring him up myself this minute, and Mr. Vavasour shall come with me.  Of course you will!  You do not know what a delightful person he is, when once you can break the ice.”

Elsley, like most vain men, was of a jealous temper; and Valencia’s eagerness to see Major Campbell jarred on him.  He wanted to keep the exquisite creature to himself, and Headley was quite enough of an intruder already.  Beside, the accounts of the new comer, his learning, his military prowess, the reverence with which all, even Scoutbush, evidently regarded him, made him prepared to dislike the Major; and all the more, now he heard that there was an ice-crust to crack.  Impulsive men like Elsley, especially when their self-respect and certainty of their own position is not very strong, have instinctively a defiant fear of the strong, calm, self-contained man, especially if he has seen the world; and Elsley set down Major Campbell as a proud, sarcastic fellow, before whom he must be at the pains of being continually on his guard.  He wished him a hundred miles away.  However, there was no refusing Valencia anything; so he got his hat, but with so bad a grace, that Valencia saw his chagrin, and from mere naughtiness of heart amused herself with it by talking all the way of nothing but Major Campbell.