Your repentant son,

Harry.

Mrs. Forbes looked up from the letter to find her employer’s eyes upon her.  Her lips were set in a tight line.

“Well?” he asked.

“I’d like to ask first, sir, what you think of it?”

“It strikes me as very cool.  Harry knows my habits.”

The housekeeper loosened the reins of her indignation.

“The idea of your having a child here to clatter up and down the stairs at the very time you want to take a nap!” she burst forth.  “You’ve had enough to bear already.”

“A deal of company in the house as it is, eh?” he rejoined.  It was the first reference he had ever made to his permanent guests.

“It’s what I was thinking, sir.”

“You’re not for it, then, Mrs. Forbes?”

“So far as taking care of the child goes, I should do my duty.  I don’t think Mrs. Evringham or her daughter would wish to be bothered; but I know very little about children, except that your house is no place for them to be racing in.  One young one brings others.  You would be annoyed, sir.  Some folks can always ask favors.”  The housekeeper’s cheeks were flushed with the strength of her repugnance, and her bias relieved Mr. Evringham’s indecision.

“I agree with you,” he returned, rising.  “Tell ’Zekiel to saddle the Maid.  After dinner I will let him take a telegram to the office.”

He returned to the house without further words, and Mrs. Forbes called to her son in a voice that had a wrathful quaver.

“What you got your back up about?” inquired Zeke softly, after a careful look to see that his august master had departed.

“Never you mind.  Mr. Evringham wants you should saddle his horse and bring her round.  I want he should see you can do it lively.”

“Ain’t she a beaut’!” exclaimed Zeke as he led out the mare.  “She’d ought to be shown, she had.”

“Shown!  Better not expose your ignorance where Mr. Evringham can hear you.  That mare’s taken two blue ribbons already.”

“Showed they knew their business,” returned Zeke imperturbably.  “I s’pose the old gent don’t care any more for her than he does for his life.”

“I guess he loves her the best of anything in this world.”

“Love!  The governor love anything or anybody!  That’s good,” remarked the young fellow, while Essex Maid watched his movements about her with gentle, curious eyes.

“I do believe she misses Fanshaw and notices the difference,” remarked Mrs. Forbes.

“Glad to, too.  Ain’t you, my beauty?  She’s going to be stuck on me before we get through.  She don’t want any Britishers fooling around her.”

“You’ve certainly made her look fine, Zeke.  I know Mr. Evringham will be pleased.  She just shines from her pretty little ears to her hoofs.  Take her around and then come back.  I want to talk to you.”

“If I don’t come back,” returned the boy, “you’ll know the governor’s looked at me a little too hard and I’ve been struck so.”