Mr. Ashford confirmed the intelligence.
‘I saw him speaking, after church, to some of the old men, so afterwards I went to ask old John Barton, and found him with tears in his eyes, positively trembling with delight, for he said he never thought to have heard his cheery voice again, and that he was coming down by and by to see the last letter from Ben, at sea.’
‘That is very nice! Shall you call?’
‘Yes. Even if he is only here for a day or two, it will be better to have made the acquaintance.’
Mr. Ashford went to the Park at two in the afternoon, and did not return till near four.
‘Well,’ said he, ‘it is as James Thorndale says, there is something very prepossessing about him.’
‘Have you been there all this time?’
‘Yes. He was not at home; so I left my card, and was coming away, when I met him at the turn leading to the Cove. He need not have seen me unless he had liked, but he came up in a good-natured cordial way, and thanked me for coming to call.’
‘Is he like his cousin?’
‘Not in the least; not nearly so tall or so handsome, but with a very pleasant face, and seeming made up of activity, very slight, as if he was all bone and sinew. He said he was going to see the Christmas ox at the farm, and asked me to come with him. Presently we came to a high gate, locked up. He was over it in an instant, begged me to wait while he ran on to the farm for the key, and was back in a second with it.’