Mr. Grey had had no personal interview with the squire since the time at which it had been declared that Mountjoy was not the heir.  Then some very severe words had been spoken.  Mr. Grey had first sworn that he did not believe a word of what was said to him, and had refused to deal with the matter at all.  If carried out Mr. Scarborough must take it to some other lawyer’s office.  There had, since that, been a correspondence as to much of which Mr. Scarborough had been forced to employ an amanuensis.  Gradually Mr. Grey had assented, in the first instance on behalf of Mountjoy, and then on behalf of Augustus.  But he had done so in the expectation that he should never again see the squire in this world.  He, too, had been assured that the man would die, and had felt that it would be better that the management of things should then be in honest hands, such as his own, and in the hands of those who understood them, than be confided to those who did not not understand them, and who might probably not be honest.

But the squire had not died, and here he was again at Tretton as the squire’s guest.  “I think,” said Mr. Grey. “that the less said about a good deal of it the better.”

“That, of course, is sweeping condemnation, which, however, I expect.  Let that be all as though it had been expressed.  You don’t understand the inner man which rules me,—­how it has struggled to free itself from conventionalities.  Nor do I quite understand how your inner man has succumbed to them and encouraged them.”

“I have encouraged an obedience to the laws of my country.  Men generally find it safer to do so.”

“Exactly, and men like to be safe.  Perhaps a condition of danger has had its attractions for me.  It is very stupid, but perhaps it is so.  But let that go.  The rope has been round my own neck and not round that of others.  Perhaps I have thought of late that if danger should come I could run away from it all, by the help of the surgeon.  They have become so skilful now that a man has no chance in that way.  But what do you think of Mountjoy and Augustus?”

“I think that Mountjoy has been very ill-used.”

“But I endeavored to do the best I could for him.”

“And that Augustus has been worse used.”

“But he, at any rate, has been put right quite in time.  Had he been brought up as the eldest son he might have done as Mountjoy did.”  Then there came a little gleam of satisfaction across the squire’s face as he felt the sufficiency of his answer.  “But they are neither of them pleased.”

“You cannot please men by going wrong, even in their own behalf.”

“I’m not so sure of that.  Were you to say that we cannot please men ever by doing right on their behalf you would perhaps be nearer the mark.  Where do you think that Mountjoy is?” A rumor, had reached Mr. Grey that Mountjoy had been seen at Monte Carlo, but it had been only a rumor.  The same had, in truth, reached Mr. Scarborough, but he chose to keep his rumor to himself.  Indeed, more than a rumor had reached him.