"Be hanged to you. What did the rogue mean, telling me I was old?"
"Why, he meant that a man who is too old to fight should be civil."
"Too old?" Sir John fumed. "Burn him for a coward."
"I think not," says Mr. Hadley. "But for the rest—God be with you. My lady—sincerely your servant."
My lady was now weeping. "You never loved him," she complained. "You were never his friend," and she became speechless.
The two men looked at each other. "Well, Charles, we'll to horse," Sir John concluded. "Servant, ma'am." They left her in the scented embraces of Arabella.
To Harry as he went out came the butler, who, with something of a furtive manner, produced and gave him a letter. Harry looked at the writing and thrust it into his coat. Alison saw and took no notice.
They walked on for some way before silence was broken. Then Harry said:
"Well, madame wife, so you feel you've been bit."
"Who—I? What do you know of what I feel?"
"Oh, I can tell hot from cold. I know when you are thinking you ought to have thought twice. Egad, I agree with you. You've been badly bit. Here you were told that I was just off out of the country; that you must catch me at once if you wanted to catch me; that if you took me you would soon have me off your hands. And now we're tied up, you find I'm not going at all. I vow it's disheartening. But if you'll believe me, I did honestly believe my old rogue of a father. I did think he meant to take me."