And finding that mercenary argument did not produce the effect he wanted, Sir Marcus fled from the sound of voices coming dangerously near, and beat a sheepish retreat into his library on the opposite side of the hall.
"It is curious," said Digby, in his oratorical way, "how the father can forgive anything but want of solid success. He doesn't care a hang that Jack has been the most popular fellow in the colony, but if he had made his pile and had something to show for his popularity, then he would proclaim it on the housetops. What a curious age it is, and how we love to judge by results! By the way, Jack will have a warm time if the father keeps it up, won't he?"
Even the prophet has to drop into the colloquial sometimes.
"Good thing too, it's what he wants," said the inconsistent Helen; and they both glanced at the expressionless face of Lady Joan as she scanned the article on "Chinese architecture," and they left her to go and join the throng in the porch.
In the library on the other side of the hall stood Sir Marcus, his back to the door and his feet set very square on the hearthrug, trying to drown the noise of welcome in the porch by rustling the newspaper in his hands loudly, while he kept his eyes obstinately fixed on the Premier's speech on fruit-growing for the million.
"Capital speech, capital speech," he said out loud, beginning it vaguely for the third time; "what I have always said myself in fact, but I never could get anybody to listen to me. Why—why the devil are they making such a row in the garden?"—as the window became darkened by the passing of many figures—"coming into the hall, are they? Let them come into the hall by all means, I can't stop them, it's no longer my own house, I suppose; but they sha'n't come in here anyhow; I hope I have a remnant of authority left—and—eh, what? is that the beggar laughing? bless him!—that is, confound his impudence! what right has he to laugh when I don't mean to forgive him? I—I've been a weak fool all my life, but I'm not going to give in this time; it—it's a duty I owe to the younger ones to make an example of him, whatever it costs me to do it; not that it costs me anything, of course, not anything at all, of course; he—he has forfeited my love, the—the rascal, and I won't give in this time. Why—why the devil don't they stop his laughing when I mean to cast him off? Pack of women and children, with no sense of the responsibilities of life!—" the columns began to vanish into mist, and the hall seemed filled with one shout of laughter; the Squire gasped and recovered himself—"It's my duty as a father to withhold my forgiveness; what else is a poor man to do when he has such an enormous family? A mountain of debts at his back, I'll be bound, and he thinks he is going to get round me to pay them all—as if I wouldn't help him if I could, bless his—hang his improvidence! but when there are eleven of them—such absurdity on the part of Lettice, always told her it was an unnecessary thing to have such a tribe of them; but there! no one ever has listened to me, and now they must bear the consequences among them. Wh—what? who's that at the door? There's no one in here, I tell you, the—the room's empty, and I don't mean to see you—I'm not going to be made a fool of when I've kept it up all day—why doesn't he go away, eh?"
The Squire's voice had sunk into a whisper, and the "Daily Liberal" shook like a leaf in the breeze.
"And the dear old guv, where is he? Why doesn't he come out as he always does? Hasn't any one told him I am here?"
"I tell you this is my room; it isn't much that belongs to me, except five sons doing nothing, and six unmarried daughters, but—but this room is my property, and I won't have any one in, I tell you—what a fool I was not to lock the door—eh, what? who's that, eh? Damn the looking-glass!"
There was a mirror over the fireplace, and the fireplace was opposite the door. It was too much for Sir Marcus; if the boy had shown the least sign of shame, of nervousness at meeting him, it would have been easier to keep up a semblance of anger; but, as usual, Jack's bluntness of vision saved him where finer instincts would have been his ruin.