She shrugged her shoulders and gave him the faintest and most
condescending of bows; then, as he reached the door, she said: "Do you think it will be moonlight to-night?"
Stafford naturally looked rather surprised at this point-blank
meteorological question.
"I shouldn't be surprised if it were," he said. "You see, this is a
very changeable climate, and as it is raining now it will probably
clear up before the evening."
"Thanks!" she said. "I am much obliged--"
"Oh, my opinion isn't worth much," he put in parenthetically, but she
went on as if he had not spoken.
--"I should be still further obliged if you would be so kind as to tell
my father--he is outside with the carriage somewhere--that I am tired
and that I would rather not go on until the cool of the evening."
"Certainly," said Stafford.
He waited a moment to see if she had any other requests, or rather
orders, and then went out and found the gentleman with the strongly
marked countenance, in the stable-yard beside the carriage to which the
hostler and the help were putting fresh horses.
Stafford raised his hat slightly.
"I am the bearer of a message from the young lady in the dining-room,
sir," he said. "She wishes me to tell you that she would prefer to
remain here until the evening."
The man swung round upon him with an alert and curious manner, half
startled, half resentful.
"What the devil--I beg your pardon! Prefers to remain here! Well!" He
muttered something that sounded extremely like an oath, then, with a
shrug of his shoulders, told the hostler to take the horses out. "Thank
you!" he said to Stafford, grudgingly. "I suppose my daughter is tired:
very kind of you."
"Not at all," responded Stafford, politely; and he got on
to Adonis, which Mr. Groves himself had led out, and rode away.
The gentleman looked after him with knitted brows.
"What is the name of that young fellow?" he asked of Groves.
"That is Mr. Stafford Orme, Sir Stephen's son, sir," replied Groves.
The gentleman was walking towards the house, but he pulled up short,
his eyes narrowed themselves to slits and his thick lips closed
tightly.
"A fine young fellow, sir!" said Groves, with respectful enthusiasm. "A
splendid specimen of an English gentleman!"
The gentleman grunted and went on to the dining-room.
"What whim is this, Maude?" he asked, irritably.