“It’s nothing alarming; I don’t suppose he’s very different from most lads of his age. Perhaps it would be better to let him have his head.”
“No,” she replied decidedly. “The pace is too hot; I can’t hold him. He’ll come to grief badly if he’s not pulled up. You know that as well as I do!”
Her anger became her, bringing a fine glow to her cheeks and a hint of half-imperious dignity into her pose. It had an effect on him, but he felt somewhat ashamed of himself.
“Well,” he asked in a quiet voice, “what’s the favor?”
“Shouldn’t a sportsman and a man of your kind grant it unconditionally beforehand? Must you be sure you won’t get hurt when you make a venture?”
“You’d risk it,” he answered, bowing. “You’re admirable, Bella. Still, you see, I’m either more cautious or less courageous.”
She was badly disappointed. She knew that a good deal depended on his answer to her request, and shrank from making it, because it would prove the strength or weakness of her hold on him. The man attracted her, and she had somewhat openly attempted to capture him. She longed for the position he could give her; she would have married him for that and his house, but she was willing to risk her success for her brother’s welfare.
“I want you to tell Batley that he must keep his hands off of Jim,” she said.
He started at this.
“He can’t do the lad much harm. Aren’t you attaching a little too much importance to the matter?”