“Not a bit,” said Esau, with a scowl. “He’s all right, and knows what’s best, and always did. If it hadn’t been for him I should have been stupid enough to have gone for a soldier.”
“Indeed!”
“Yes, indeed!” cried Esau; “and I tried all I could to get him to go too, only he knew better. Now then, Mr Gordon, I’m ’bout tired of talking. When you’re ready, I am.”
He moved toward the door and I followed him, having no words to say for the moment; but as I reached the door they came, and I faced around to see Mr Raydon’s clear eyes fixed upon me.
“Good-bye, sir,” I said, “and thank you. When Mr John and dear Mrs John come, don’t scold them and talk to them as you have to me. It would only upset her, and she is sure to be still very delicate. Tell them I have gone to make a start for myself, and as soon as I am doing well I shall try and write to her. Good-bye.”
“Good-bye,” said Esau, defiantly; and he put his hands in his pockets, began to whistle, and turned to me, to point to the head of a mountain sheep with enormous curled horns.
“Pretty good load for a thing to carry,” he said, as we reached the door.
“Stop!”
That word seemed to cut its way into our brains, it sounded so fierce and sharp, and its effect was to make us both face round wonderingly, and look inquiringly at the speaker.
“I should have thought, sir, that it would have been more decent if you had offered to shake hands with your host before you went.”