“None whatsoever,” Dr. Prescott hastened to assure him. “It will be a great privilege and honor indeed, doubly so, because she is an American girl.”
“Aye, that has been some of the cause for trouble,” he said, “with the people hereabouts. They didn’t want the honor to go across the seas. But Nancy’s mother, when she came over to take possession of the estate quite won the heart of everyone. Now Nancy has done the same. There will be no more trouble of that sort,” he promised, “and no more trouble of any kind, if I can help it.” He finished the sentence belligerently.
His own fighting mood brought back to Dr. Prescott’s mind the accident in the carriage.
“Do you know at all what happened tonight?” she asked.
“You mean what caused the accident?” he parried, for here was something he did not want to talk about as yet.
“Yes.”
“I am not certain as yet,” he admitted half the truth, “but if you will have faith in an old man and leave your question rest for a few hours,” he was very serious as he spoke, “I will answer it later. There is no need for you to worry,” he concluded. With this he walked with her over to the stairway and watched her as she went up.
Alone in the hall now, he rang a bell and called for the servant who had been left with the carriage.