“Oh, stay! stop! I forgot! Mr. Randolph Hay wishes to see you both—wants to make your acquaintance—and made me promise to bring you into the drawing-room. Come!” said Dandy, taking the offered hand of his nephew and trying to draw him toward a door.
John Legg hesitated, looked at his wife, and then inquired:
“Who’s in there?”
“Squire and wife, and brother-in-law and lawyer, parson and wife and daughter, and a backwoodsman—all plain people as you needn’t be afraid on; I ain’t.”
“We would rather not go in. We are not exactly dressed for company, right off a railway journey, and a very long one at that, as we are. Can’t you step in and persuade the young squire to come out and speak to us? You can tell him how it is.”
“Well, I’ll go and try,” said Dandy.
And he returned to the drawing-room, went up to Ran, and whispered:
“Mr. Hay, my niece and nephy be plain folk and a bit shy. They want to pay their respects to you, but don’t like to face the company in the drawing-room. Will you please come and speak to them in the hall?”
“Certainly,” replied Ran, rising; and then turning to his friends he added:
“I am called out for a moment. Will you excuse me?”