Sir Louis was now twenty-three years old, and was a great deal too knowing to allow himself to be kept under the doctor’s thumb.  It had, indeed, become his plan to rebel against his guardian in almost everything.  He had at first been decently submissive, with the view of obtaining increased supplies of ready money; but he had been sharp enough to perceive that, let his conduct be what it would, the doctor would keep him out of debt; but that the doing so took so large a sum that he could not hope for any further advances.  In this respect Sir Louis was perhaps more keen-witted than Dr Thorne.

Mary, when she saw the carriage, at once ran up to her own bedroom.  The doctor, who had been with her in the drawing-room, went down to meet his ward, but as soon as he saw the cockade he darted almost involuntarily into his shop and shut the door.  This protection, however, lasted only for a moment; he felt that decency required him to meet his guest, and so he went forth and faced the enemy.

‘I say,’ said Joe, speaking to Janet, who stood curtsying at the gate, with Bridget, the other maid, behind her, ’I say, are there any chaps about the place to take the things—­eh? come, look sharp here.’

It so happened that the doctor’s groom was not on the spot, and ’other chaps’ the doctor had none.

‘Take those things, Bridget,’ he said, coming forward and offering his hand to the baronet.  Sir Louis, when he saw his host, roused himself slowly from the back of his carriage.  ‘How do, doctor?’ said he.  ’What terrible bad roads you have here! and, upon my word, it’s as cold as winter:’  and, so saying, he slowly proceeded to descend.

Sir Louis was a year older than when we last saw him, and, in his generation, a year wiser.  He had then been somewhat humble before the doctor; but now he was determined to let his guardian see that he knew how to act the baronet; that he had acquired the manners of a great man; and that he was not to be put upon.  He had learnt some lessons from Jenkins in London, and other friends of the same sort, and he was about to profit by them.

The doctor showed him to his room, and then proceeded to ask after his health.  ‘Oh, I’m right enough,’ said Sir Louis.  ’You mustn’t believe all that fellow Greyson tells you:  he wants me to take salts and senna, opodeldoc, and all that sort of stuff; looks after his bill, you know—­eh? like all the rest of you.  But I won’t have it;—­not at any price; and then he writes to you.’

‘I’m glad to see you are able to travel,’ said Dr Thorne, who could not force himself to tell his guest that he was glad to see him at Greshamsbury.

’Oh, travel; yes, I can travel well enough.  But I wish you had some better sort of trap down in these country parts.  I’m shaken to bits.  And, doctor, would you tell your people to send that fellow of mine up here with hot water.

So dismissed, the doctor went his way, and met Joe swaggering in one of the passages, while Janet and her colleague dragged along between them a heavy article of baggage.