And with a growl, the speaker turned from Verty, and said, roughly, to
Redbud:
"Where's your father?"'
"Here I am," said the bluff and good-humored voice of the Squire, from the door; "you are early—much obliged to you." And the Squire and lawyer shook hands. Mr. Rushton's hand fell coldly to his side, and regarding the Squire for a moment with what seemed an expression of contemptuous anger, he said, frowning, until his shaggy, grey eye-brows met together almost:
"Early! I suppose I am to take up the whole forenoon—the most valuable part of the day—jogging over the country to examine title-deeds and accounts? Humph! if you expect anything of the sort, you are mistaken. No, sir! I started from Winchester at day-break, without my breakfast, and here I am."
The jovial Squire laughed, and turning from Verty, with whom he had shaken hands, said to the lawyer:
"Breakfast?—is it possible? Well, Rushton, for once I will be magnanimous—magnificent, generous and liberal—"
"What!" growled the lawyer.
"You shall have some breakfast here!" finished the Squire, laughing heartily; and the merry old fellow caught Miss Redbud up from the porch, deposited a matutinal salute upon her lips, and kicking at old Caesar as he passed, by way of friendly greeting, led the way into the breakfast room.
Verty made a movement to depart, inasmuch as he had breakfasted; but the vigilant eye of the lawyer detected this suspicious manoeuvre; and the young man found himself suddenly commanded to remain, by the formula "Wait!" uttered with a growl which might have done honor to a lion.
Verty was not displeased at this interference with his movements, and, obedient to a sign, followed the lawyer into the breakfast-room.