"Should I be all alone?"
He turned.
"There's a man and his wife in the house. One of them would be always within call. The woman will bring you tea at half past four."
I could hardly believe my ears. I had never heard of such solicitude. "But I shouldn't need tea!" I began to assure him.
He paused for a moment, looking at me searchingly.
"You'll have callers—"
"Oh no, I sha'n't."
"You'll have callers," he repeated, as if I hadn't spoken, "and there'll be tea every day at four-thirty."
He was gone before I could protest further, or ask any more questions.
Hugh's explanation, when I laid the matter before him, was that Mr. Grainger was trying to play into the hands of that fellow, Strangways.