“Ah, Charles! my brother!  I don’t see him.”

Anne was glad to have no time to answer before she was in her uncle’s arms.  “My child, at last!  God bless thee!  Safe in soul and body!”

Sir Philip was there too, greeting Mr. Fellowes, and looking for his son, and with the cursory assurance that Mr. Archfield was well, and that they would explain, a hasty introduction of Miss Darpent was made, and all moved in to where Lady Archfield, more feeble and slow of movement, had come into the hall, and the nurse stood by with the little heir to be shown to his father, and Sedley Archfield stood in the background.  It was a cruel moment for all, when the words came from Mr. Fellowes, “Sir, I have to tell you, Mr. Archfield is not here.  This letter, he tells me, is to explain.”

There was an outburst of exclamation, during which Sir Philip withdrew into a window with his spectacles to read the letter, while all to which the tutor or Anne ventured to commit themselves was that Mr. Archfield had only quitted them without notice on board the Hampshire Hog.

The first tones of the father had a certain sound of relief, “Gone to the Imperialist army to fight the Turks in Hungary!”

Poor Lady Archfield actually shrieked, and Lucy turned quite pale, while Anne caught a sort of lurid flush of joy on Sedley Archfield’s features, and he was the first to exclaim, “Undutiful young dog!”

“Tut! tut!” returned Sir Philip, “he might as well have come home first, and yet I do not know but that it is the best thing he could do.  There might have been difficulties in the way of getting out again, you see, my lady, as things stand now.  Ay! ay! you are in the right of it, my boy.  It is just as well to let things settle themselves down here before committing himself to one side or the other.  ’Tis easy enough for an old fellow like me who has to let nothing go but his Commission of the Peace, but not the same for a stirring young lad; and he is altogether right as to not coming back to idle here as a rich man.  It would be the ruin of him.  I am glad he has the sense to see it.  I was casting about to obtain an estate for him to give him occupation.”

“But the wars,” moaned the mother; “if he had only come home we could have persuaded him.”

“The wars, my lady!  Why, they will be a feather in his cap; and may be if he had come home, the Dutchman would have claimed him for his, and let King James be as misguided as he may, I cannot stomach fighting against his father’s son for myself or mine.  No, no; it was the best thing there was for the lad to do.  You shall hear his letter, it does him honour, and you, too, Mr. Fellowes.  He could not have written such a letter when he left home barely a year ago.”