“Thank you, Phil,” said Herbert, to whom a few months ago this proposal would have been most seducing, “but I am going home, and that’s all the change I shall want.”
“Home! Yes, Ellen is getting ready for you. Not your room—oh, no! but the state bedroom! When will you come? My leave is only till Tuesday.”
“Oh! I don’t know how to think of the drive,” sighed Herbert wearily.
“We must wait for a fine day, when he feels strong enough,” said Jenny.
“All right,” said Phil; “but ten days or a fortnight there will be quite enough, and then you’ll come. There are some friends of yours, that only looked at me, I can tell you, for the sake of your name—eh, Master Herbs?”
Herbert did not rise to the bait; but Jenny said, “The Miss Strangeways?”
“Yes. Wouldn’t he be flattered to hear of the stunning excitement when they heard of Captain Bowater, and how the old lady, their mother, talked by the yard about him? You’ll get a welcome indeed when you come, old fellow. When shall it be?”
“No, thank you, Phil,” said Herbert, gravely. “I shall come back here as soon as I am well enough. But there is one thing I wish you would do for me.”
“Well, what? I’ll speak about having any horse you please taken up for you to ride; I came over on Brown Ben, but he would shake you too much.”
“No, no, it’s about a young fellow. If you could take him back to York to enlist—”