’Turn against you, John!  I hope I may never have to do that again.  What is that you mean?’ This he said very seriously.  There was usually in his voice something of a tone of banter,—­a subdued cynicism,—­which had caused everybody near him to be afraid of him, and which even yet was habitual to him.  But now that was all gone.  Was there to be any new source of trouble betwixt him and his son?

‘I intend to ask Hester Bolton to be my wife,’ said John Caldigate.

The father, who was standing in the library, slapped both his hands down upon the table.  ‘Hester Bolton!’

‘Is there any objection?’

‘What do you know about her?  Why;—­she’s a child.’

‘She is nearly twenty, sir.’

‘Have you ever seen her?’

’Yes, I have seen her,—­twice.  I daresay you’ll think it very absurd, but I have made up my mind about it.  If I say that I was thinking about it all the time I was in Australia, of course you will laugh at me.’

‘I will not laugh at you at all, John.’

’If any one else were to say so to me, I should laugh at them.  But yet it was so.  Have you ever seen her?’

‘I suppose I have.  I think I remember a little girl.’

‘For beauty I have never seen anybody equal to her,’ said the lover.  ’I wish you’d go over to Chesterton and judge for yourself.’

’They wouldn’t know what such a thing meant.  It is years since I have been in the house.  I believe that Mrs. Bolton devotes herself to religious exercises and that she regards me as a pagan.’

’That’s just the difficulty, sir.  How am I to get at her?  But you may be sure of this, I mean to do it.  If I were beat I do think that then I should go back and bury myself in the gold-mines.  You asked me what I meant to do about my future life.  That is my purpose.  If she were my wife I should consult her.  We might travel part of the time, and I might have a farm.  I should always look upon Folking as home.  But till that is settled, when you ask me what I mean to do with my life, I can only say that I mean to marry Hester Bolton.’

‘Did you tell them at Babington?’

‘I have told nobody but you.  How am I to set about it?’

Then Mr. Caldigate sat down and began to scratch his head and to consider.  ‘I don’t suppose they ever go out anywhere.’

‘I don’t think they do;—­except to church.’

’You can’t very well ask her there.  You can always knock at the house-door.’

’I can call again once;—­but what if I am refused then?  It is of no use knocking if a man does not get in.’  After a little more conversation the squire was so far persuaded that he assented to the proposed marriage as far as his assent was required; but he did not see his way to give any assistance.  He could only suggest that his son should go direct to the father and make his proposition in the old-fashioned legitimate fashion.  But when it was put to him whether Mr. Bolton would not certainly reject the offer unless it were supported by some goodwill on the part of his own daughter, he acknowledged that it might probably be so.  ‘You see,’ said the squire, ’he believes in gold, but he doesn’t believe in gold-mines.’