"At any rate, sir! I can scarcely reconcile the manner and words
to my father, which I heard you use when I first came up, with the
deference you ought to have shown to a man of his age and position.
As to the fact of the trespass--"
"They are pulling up all the gorse, Roger--there'll be no cover
whatever for game soon," put in the Squire.
Roger bowed to his father, but took up his speech at the point it was
at before the interruption.
"I will inquire into it myself at a cooler moment; and if I find that
such trespass or damage has been committed, of course I shall expect
that you will see it put a stop to. Come, father! I am going to
see old Silas--perhaps you don't know that he is very ill." So he
endeavoured to wile the Squire away to prevent further words. He was
not entirely successful.
Mr. Preston was enraged by Roger's calm and dignified manner,
and threw after them this parting shaft, in the shape of a loud
soliloquy,--
"Position, indeed! What are we to think of the position of a man who
begins works like these without counting the cost, and comes to a
stand-still, and has to turn off his labourers just at the beginning
of winter, leaving--"
They were too far off to hear the rest. The Squire was on the point
of turning back before this, but Roger took hold of the reins of the
old mare, and led her over some of the boggy ground, as if to guide
her into sure footing, but, in reality, because he was determined to
prevent the renewal of the quarrel. It was well that the cob knew
him, and was, indeed, old enough to prefer quietness to dancing; for
Mr. Hamley plucked hard at the reins, and at last broke out with an
oath,--"Damn it, Roger! I'm not a child; I won't be treated as such.
Leave go, I say!"
Roger let go; they were now on firm ground, and he did not wish any
watchers to think that he was exercising any constraint over his
father; and this quiet obedience to his impatient commands did more
to soothe the Squire than anything else could have effected just
then.
"I know I turned them off--what could I do? I'd no more money for
their weekly wages; it's a loss to me, as you know. He doesn't know,
no one knows, but I think your mother would, how it cut me to turn
'em off just before winter set in. I lay awake many a night thinking
of it, and I gave them what I had--I did, indeed. I hadn't got money
to pay 'em, but I had three barren cows fattened, and gave every
scrap of meat to the men, and I let 'em go into the woods and gather
what was fallen, and I winked at their breaking off old branches, and
now to have it cast up against me by that cur--that servant. But I'll
go on with the works, by ----, I will, if only to spite him. I'll
show him who I am. My position, indeed! A Hamley of Hamley takes a
higher position than his master. I'll go on with the works, see if
I don't! I'm paying between one and two hundred a year interest on
Government money. I'll raise some more if I go to the Jews; Osborne
has shown me the way, and Osborne shall pay for it--he shall. I'll
not put up with insults. You shouldn't have stopped me, Roger! I wish
to heaven I'd horsewhipped the fellow!"