Arthur had already suspected this fact, but he was surprised to hear his cousin state the case so frankly.
"I thought you seemed to have plenty of time on your hands," he commented.
"Simply nothing to do," Hubert agreed.
"All the same, you know that your grandfather wants to keep you here?"
"He wants to keep us all here, you included," Hubert said.
Arthur knew now that that was true. But this calm acknowledgment of the old man's peculiarity seemed to imply a comprehension of motive that was as yet quite beyond his own understanding.
They had been walking down through the spinney towards the power-house, and Arthur stopped in the quietness of the wood and laid his hand on his cousin's shoulder.
"I say," he said, "I can see that. He does want to keep us here. But why does he? Do you know? Is there some secret about it?"
"Lord, no—secret? Why should there be?" Hubert returned with perfect candour.
"Seems so damned rum," Arthur said, frowning. "Doesn't it to you?" And then a queer analogy flitted across his mind and he added: "It's like Pharaoh and the Israelites. I never could make out why he wanted to keep them."