'One of the rooks is gone.'
'Is that all? … What about the ball at Steyning? I hear it was a great success.'
'Oh, it was delightful.'
'You must tell me about it after dinner. Now I must go round to the stables and tell Walls to fetch my things from the station.'
'Are you going to be here for some time?' said Mrs. Norton with an indifferent air.
'Yes, I think so; that is to say, for a couple of months—six weeks. I have some arrangements to make; but I will speak to you about all that after dinner.'
With these words John left the room, and he left his mother agitated and frightened.
'What can he mean by having arrangements to make?' she asked. Kitty could of course suggest no explanation, and the women waited the pleasure of the young man to speak his mind. He seemed, however, in no hurry to do so; and the manner in which he avoided the subject aggravated his mother's uneasiness. At last she said, unable to bear the suspense any longer—
'Have you had a quarrel with the Jesuits?'
'Not exactly a quarrel, but the order is so entirely opposed to the monastic spirit. What I mean is—well, their worldliness is repugnant to me—fashionable friends, confidences, meddling in family affairs, dining out, letters from ladies who need consolation…. I don't mean anything wrong; pray don't misunderstand me. I merely mean to say that I hate their meddling in family affairs. Their confessional is a kind of marriage bureau; they have always got some plan on for marrying this person to that, and I must say I hate all that sort of thing…. If I were a priest I would disdain to… but perhaps I am wrong to speak like that. Yes, it is very wrong of me, and before… Kitty, you must not think I am speaking against the principles of religion; I am only speaking of matters of—-'