’I should be sorry to quarrel with them, because they were kind to me when I was a boy.  They are not very wise.’

‘I don’t think I ever knew such a houseful of fools.’  There was no relationship by blood between the Squire of Folking and the Squire of Babington; but they had married two sisters, and therefore Mrs. Babington was Aunt Polly to John Caldigate.

’But fools may be very worthy, sir.  I should say that a great many people are fools to you.’

‘Not to me especially,’ said the squire, almost angrily.

‘People who read no books are always fools to those who do read.’

’I deny it.  Our neighbour over the water’—­the middle wash was always called the water at Folking—­’never looks at a book, as far as I know, and he is not a fool.  He thoroughly understands his own business But your uncle Babington doesn’t know how to manage his own property,—­and yet he knows nothing else.  That’s what I call being a fool.’

‘Now, I’m going to tell you a secret, sir.’

‘A secret!’

‘You must promise to keep it.’

‘Of course I will keep it, if it ought to be kept.’

‘They want me to marry Julia.’

‘What!’

’My cousin Julia.  It’s an old affair.  Perhaps it was not Davis only that made me run away five years ago.’

‘Do you mean they asked you;—­or did you ask her?’

’Well; I did not ask her.  I do not know that I can be more explicit.  Nevertheless it is expected; and as I do not mean to do it, you can see that there is a difficulty.’

‘I would not go near the place, John.’

‘I must.’

‘Then you’ll have to marry her.’

‘I won’t.’

‘Then there’ll be a quarrel.’

’It may be so, but I will avoid it if possible.  I must go.  I could not stay away without laying myself open to a charge of ingratitude.  They were very kind to me in the old days.’  Then the subject was dropped; and on the next morning, John wrote to his aunt saying that he would go over to Babington after his return from London.  He was going to London on business, and would come back from London to Babington on a day which he named.  Then he resolved that he would take Pollington on his way down, knowing that a disagreeable thing to be done is a lion in one’s path which should be encountered and conquered as soon as possible.

But there was one visit which he must pay before he went up to London.  ‘I think I shall ride over to-morrow and call on the Boltons,’ he said to his father.

‘Of course; you can do that if you please.’

’He was a little rough to me, but he was kind.  I stayed a night at his house, and he advanced me the money.’

’As for the money, that was a matter of business.  He had his security, and, in truth, his interest.  He is an honest man, and a very old friend of mine.  But perhaps I may as well tell you that he has always been a little hard about you.’