Dick was overwhelmed; he could scarcely answer coherently.
“I never expected such happiness, sir,” he stammered, in a low voice. “I would rather follow the plough on this farm than be a millionaire, anywhere else. Why,” he went on after a moment’s pause, in a tone of eager delight, “I might—marry!”
He flushed crimson as Captain Mulgrave began to laugh.
“Well,” said the latter, “I don’t know that you could do better. You were always a good lad at heart, and my quarrel was never with you, but with your cousin. He used your services for his own advantage, but I must do you the justice to say it was never for yours. So find a wife if you can; I think you’re the sort to treat a woman well.”
Dick took the suggestion literally, and acted upon it at once. Leaving the two other men together in the darkening room, with some sort of excuse about seeing after the house, he went outside into the court-yard, and soon spied out Freda on the ruined outer wall. He was beside her in a few moments, looking down at her with a radiant face.
“I’m going to stay here—on the farm—to manage it myself—to be master here.”
“Oh, Dick!” was all the girl could say, in a breathless way.
“It sounds too good for belief, doesn’t it? But it’s true. That old Thurley must be a good fellow, for he’s going to help to start me. It’s for my aunt’s benefit he’s doing it; he’s a connection of hers.”
“Oh, Dick, if you had had a fairy’s wish, you couldn’t have chosen more, could you?”
There was a pause before Dick answered, and during that pause he began to get nervous. At last he said: