That Stick | Page 7

which operations he declared that he had performed,
spreading out his brown hands, which might be called clean, except for
ingrained streaks of tar. Mr. Rollstone tried to console his mother by
declaring that it was aristocratic to know how to handle the ropes; and
Herbert, sitting among the girls, began, while devouring sausages, to
express his intention of having a yacht, in which Rose should be taken
on a voyage. No, not Ida; she would only make a fool of herself on
board; and besides, she had such horrid sticking-out ears, with a pull at
them, which made her scream, and her mother rebuke him; while Mr.
Rollstone observed that the young gentleman had much to learn if he
was to conform to aristocratic manners, and Herbert under his breath
hung aristocratic manners, and added that he was not to be bored, at
any rate, till he was a lord; and then to salve any shock to his visitor,
proceeded to say that his yacht should be the Rose, and invite her to a
voyage.
'Certainly not till you can behave yourself,' replied Rose; and there was
a general titter among the young people.
CHAPTER III
WHAT IS HONOUR?
'Here is a bit of news for you,' said Sir Edward Kenton, as, after a
morning of work with his agent, both came in to the family luncheon.

'Mr. Burford tells me that the Northmoor title has descended on his
agent, Morton.'
'That stick!' exclaimed George, the son and heir.
'Not altogether a stick, Mr. Kenton,' said the bald-headed gentlemanly
agent. 'He is very worthy and industrious!'
Frederica Kenton and her brother looked at each other as if this
character were not inconsistent with that of a stick.
'Poor man!' said their mother. 'Is it not a great misfortune to him?'
'I should think him sensible and methodical,' said Sir Edward. 'By the
way, did you not tell me that it was his diligence that discovered the
clause to which our success was owing in the Stockpen suit?'
'Yes, Sir Edward, through his indefatigable diligence in reading over
every document connected with the matter. I take shame to myself,' he
added, smiling, 'for it was in a letter that I had read and put aside,
missing that passage.'
'Then I am under great obligations to him?' said Sir Edward.
'I could also tell of what only came to my knowledge many years later,
and not through himself, of attempts made to tamper with his integrity,
and gain private information from him which he had steadily baffled.'
'There must be much in him,' said Lady Kenton, 'if only he is not
spoilt!'
'I am afraid he is heavily weighted,' said Mr. Burford. 'His brother's
widow and children are almost entirely dependent on him, more so, in
my opinion, than he should have allowed.'
'Exactly what I should expect from such a sheep,' said George Kenton.
'There is this advantage,' said the lawyer, 'it has prevented his
marrying.'

'At least that fatal step has been averted,' said the lady, smiling.
'But unluckily there is an entanglement, an endless engagement to a
governess at Miss Lang's.'
'Oh,' cried Freda, who once, during a long absence of the family abroad,
had been disposed of at Miss Lang's, 'there was always a kind of
whisper among us that Miss Marshall was engaged, though it was high
treason to be supposed to know.'
'Was that the one you called Creepmouse?' asked her brother.
'George, you should not bring up old misdeeds! She was a harmless old
thing. I believe the tinies were very fond of her, but we elders had not
much to do with her, only we used to think her horridly particular.'
'Does that mean conscientious?' asked her father.
'Perhaps it does; and though I was rather a goose then, I really believe
she was very kind, and did not want to be tiresome.'
'A lady?' asked her mother.
'I suppose so, but she was so awfully quiet there was no knowing.'
'Poor thing!' observed Lady Kenton, in a tone of commiseration.
'I think Morton told me that she was a clergy-orphan,' said Mr. Burford,
'and considered her as rather above him, for his father was a ruined
farmer and horse-breeder, and I only took him into my office out of
respect for his mother, though I never had a better bargain in my life.
Of course, however, this unlucky engagement cannot stand.'
'Indeed!' said the Baronet drily. 'Would you have him begin his career
with an act of baseness?'
'No--no, Sir Edward, I did not mean--' said Mr. Burford, rather abashed;
'but the lady might be worked on to resign her pretensions, since
persistence might not be for the happiness of either party; and he really

ought to marry a lady of fortune, say his cousin,