‘Old, indeed!’ ejaculated Winifred, looking at her fair fresh complexion and bright features; ’don’t try for that, when even Edmund is not grey.’

‘Yes he is,’ said Albinia, gravely; ’Malta sowed many white threads in his black head, and worry about those buildings has brought more.’

‘Worry; I’m very sorry to hear of it.’

’Yes; the tenures are so troublesome, and everybody is so cantankerous.  If he wanted to set up some pernicious manufacture, it could not be worse!  The Osbornes, after having lived with Tibb’s Alley close to them all their lives, object to the almshouses!  Mr. Baron wont have the new drains carried through his little strip of land.  The Town Council think we are going to poison the water; and Pettilove, and everybody else who owns a wretched tenement, that we shall increase the wants of their tenants, and lower their rents.  If it be carried through, it will be by that sheer force in going his own way that Edmund can exert when he chooses.’

‘And he will?’

’O, yes, no fear of that; he goes on, avoiding seeing or hearing what he has not to act upon; but worse than all are the people themselves; Tibb’s Alley all has notice to quit, but none of them can be got rid of till Martinmas, and some not till Lady-day, and the beer-house people are in such a rage!  The turn-out of the public-houses come and roar at our gate on Saturday nights; and they write up things on the wall against him! and one day they threw over into the garden what little Awkey called a poor dear dead pussy.  I believe they tell them all sorts of absurd things about his tyranny; poor creatures.’

‘Can’t you get it stopped?’

’Edmund wont summon any one, because he thinks it would do more harm than good.  He says it will pass off; but it grieves him more than he shows:  he thinks he could once have made himself more popular:  but I don’t know, it is a horrid set.’

‘I thought you said he was in good spirits.’

’And so he is:  he never gets depressed and unwilling to be spoken to.  He is ready to take interest in everything; and always so busy!  When I remember how he never seemed to be obliged to attend to anything, I laugh at the contrast; and yet he goes about it all so gravely and slowly, that it never seems like a change.’

In this and other home talk nearly an hour had passed, when Mr. Ferrars returned.  ‘Are you come to tell me to go?’ said Albinia.

‘Not particularly,’ he said, in a tone that made her laugh.

‘No, no,’ said Winifred.  ’I want a great deal more of her.  Where have you been?’

’I have been to see old Wilks; Ulick walked down with me.  By-the-bye, Albinia, what nonsense has Fred’s wife been talking to his brother?’

‘Emily does not talk nonsense!’ fired up Albinia, colouring, nevertheless.

’The worse for her, then!  However, it seems Bryan has disturbed this poor fellow very much, by congratulating him on his prospects at Willow Lawn.’