The words were not calculated to improve Horton’s temper.  What a mistake he had made!  Had he interfered on James Walsham’s behalf—­and a word from him, saying that James was the son of a medical man, and was assuredly mixed up in this smuggling affair only by accident—­he would have been released.  He had not spoken that word, and the consequence was, he had himself fallen into bad odour with the squire, and James Walsham, instead of drudging away as a country practitioner, was an officer of rank equal to himself, for he, as second lieutenant in the Sutherland, ranked with a captain in the army.

Not only this, but whenever he went to Sidmouth he had heard how James had been mentioned in the despatches, and how much he was distinguishing himself.  Everything seemed to combine against him.  He had hated James Walsham from the day when the latter had thrashed him, and had acted as Aggie’s champion against him.  He had hated him more, when he found Aggie installed as the squire’s heiress, and saw how high James stood in her good graces, and that he had been taken up by the squire.

He had hoped that he had gained the advantage over him, when he had come back a naval officer, while James was still a schoolboy, and had kept aloof from the house while he devoted himself to the young heiress.  Everything had seemed going on well with his plans, until the very circumstance which, at the time, seemed so opportune, namely, the pressing James as a seaman on board the Thetis, had turned out so disastrous.  The letter, in which he had suffered his exultation to appear, had angered the squire, had set Mrs. Walsham and her friend the ex-sergeant against him, and had deeply offended Aggie.  It had, too, enabled the squire to take instant measures for procuring James’s discharge, and had now placed the latter in a position equal to his own.

James, on his part, did not like Richard Horton, but he felt no active animosity against him.  He had got the best of it in that first quarrel of theirs, and, although he had certainly felt very sore and angry, at the time Richard was staying at the Hall, and seemed to have taken his place altogether as Aggie’s friend, this feeling had long since died away, for he knew, from the letters of Mr. Wilks, that Aggie had no liking whatever for Richard Horton.

“You were at Sidmouth in the spring, I heard,” he said.  “You found my mother looking well, I hope?”

“Yes, I was there a fortnight before we sailed,” Richard said.  “I think she was looking about as usual.”

For a few minutes, they talked in a stiff and somewhat constrained tone, for Richard could not bring himself to speak cordially to this man, whom he regarded as a dangerous rival.  Presently, the captain came up to them.