Very early in the morning he told Mavis that he felt sure they ought to send Norah away on a holiday for the good of her health.
"This hot weather has been a severe test for all of us," he said; "and of course what I should consider equally advisable would be to send you and the children along with her, but I suppose--"
"What, me go away just when you're going to cut the grass!"
"Very well," he said, "I won't urge it. But as to Norah, that's a decision I've come to; so please don't question it. She's been working too hard--"
"Did she complain to you yesterday, when you lectured her?"
"No. Not a word. An' she'll prob'ly resist the idea. But she must be overruled, because my mind is made up. So now the only question that remains is--where are you to send her? What about that place for servants resting--at Bournemouth, the place Mrs. Norton collects subscriptions for?"
"Yes, I might ask Mrs. Norton if she could spare us a ticket."
"No, send the girl as a paying guest. I don't grudge any reasonable expense. Or again there's Mrs. Creech's daughter-in-law, over at S'thaampton Water."
"Oh, there's half a dozen people I could think of--"
"All right," he said; "but I want it done now, straight away. And look here, Mav. Take this thing off my shoulders, and don't let me be bothered. I shouldn't have decided it, if I didn't know it was right. I've a long and difficult day before me. You just hop into the gig, and Tom'll drive you round--to see Mrs. Norton or anybody else. Only let me hear by dinner-time that the arrangement is made."
"You shall," said Mavis cheerfully.
"Thank you, Mav. You're always a trump. You never fail one."
What had seemed an insuperable difficulty was thus in a moment accomplished. His quietly authoritative tone had made Mavis accept the thing not only easily but without a doubt or question, and he thought remorsefully that, except for his sneaking, cowardly delay, all this might have occurred a month ago. He felt a distinct lightening of the trouble as he went back into his own room, and then the weight of it fell upon him again. He had succeeded so far as Mavis was concerned; but how about Norah?
He stood meditating in front of the looking-glass before he began to shave. When he picked up the shaving-brush, he noticed that his hand was trembling--not much, yet quite visibly. It never used to do that, and he looked at it with disgust. It seemed to him like an old man's hand.