Richard instantly fell to whistling “Yankee Doodle,” and walked on several paces without saying a word. He then made a slight apology for his impertinence, hoped no offence, and, with his usual bold but astute style of talk, contrived to bring out something of his companion’s mind. He was evidently struck with the clearness and propriety with which Leonard expressed himself, raised his eyebrows in surprise more than once, and looked him full in the face with an attentive and pleased survey. Leonard had put on the new clothes with which Riccabocca and his wife had provided him. They were those appropriate to a young country tradesman in good circumstances; but as Leonard did not think about the clothes, so he had unconsciously something of the ease of the gentleman.
They now came into the fields. Leonard paused before a slip of ground sown with rye.
“I should have thought grass-land would have answered better so near a town,” said he.
“No doubt it would,” answered Richard; “but they are sadly behind-hand in these parts. You see the great park yonder, on the other side of the road? That would answer better for rye than grass; but then, what would become of my Lord’s deer? The aristocracy eat us up, young man.”
“But the aristocracy did not sow this piece with rye, I suppose?” said Leonard, smiling.
“And what do you conclude from that?”
“Let every man look to his own ground,” said Leonard, with a cleverness of repartee caught from Dr. Riccabocca.
“‘Cute lad you are,” said Richard; “and we’ll talk more of these matters another time.”
They now came within sight of Mr. Avenel’s house.
“You can get through the gap in the hedge, by the old pollard-oak,” said Richard; “and come round by the front of the house. Why, you’re not afraid, are you?”