"Perhaps not, in the way you put it, my lady," said Mr. Brading; "but I could not charge a lad with being dishonest because he rode out in the evening. There might be a good reason for having the cab there."
"Well, I see I shall have to tell you all my tale, although it involves the reputation of my own dear son, and then, I think, you will see that it is quite reasonable and right that I should demand that Arthur Murray should be discharged from your employment and sent to another town where—"
"But, my lady, I have no such control as that over my employees," interrupted Mr. Brading.
"But I think you will find a way to exercise it when you hear all my story, if only for the sake of your own son, who I hear is a friend of this artful lad's. When I got home last night my cook came to tell me that my son and this Arthur Murray had come home very tipsy, and, as I learned later, my son had lost or been robbed of his watch and chain. Now, when I tell you that this sort of thing has been going on for years and years, that he has constantly been leading my poor boy into mischief of some sort or other, you will understand how anxious I am to remove him from such bad company, and the only way to do it is for one or other of them to leave the neighbourhood. I cannot part with my dear Adrian for any length of time, and so I do hope you will help me to get rid of Arthur, for he is, I can assure you, a dreadful boy! Actually calls me a dragon, I hear from my cook, who lived with them as long as they could keep a decent servant!"
Mr. Brading could scarcely keep from smiling at the lady's last charge, and yet he knew not what to think of the other part of her communication. He paused before replying, to see if the lady had anything else to bring forward to the lad's discredit, and also so to frame his answer as to leave himself uncommitted to any special course of action, and yet not to give any offence to Lady Mary.
He was much more disposed to credit her statements this morning, for she spoke calmly and reasonably, and there was not the heat of temper in what she said. She, on her part, could see that she had made a more favourable impression on Mr. Ending, and was anxious to follow it up by being unusually gracious, and so, after a pause, she said:
"I suppose you have not heard the great news yet, that the railway is really coming at last, and coming by the old route that was supposed to have been given up for a short-cut that would practically have left our town far from its benefits."
"No, indeed, I have not heard a word about it," said Mr. Brading, his interest at once aroused. For if this information was correct, it would alter all the plans he was formulating just now for the building of a new factory which the extension of his business demanded should be set about without delay. "May I ask the source of your information, my lady?" he said.
She laughed and shook her head. "I cannot tell you that, Mr. Brading," she answered. "But you may rely upon it as being quite true."
"Thank you; but you see for years past there have been so many rumours about this railway, that one is shy of giving credence to anything."