For a few seconds both men were silent; then old Peter began to speak again.
"Roger Trevanion," he said, "you know that I hold the deeds of Trevanion; you know that you are entirely at my mercy."
"Well enough."
"You would like to remain at Trevanion? You, a Trevanion, would not like to be an outcast, a mere vagrant, a landless gipsy."
"I don't care much," I replied. "I should be free; and I would rather be landless than be supposed to own the land, while everything practically belonged to you. I've told you this before. Why make me say it again?"
"But you would like the deeds back. You would like to live at the old home with plenty of money?"
"You know I would. Why mock me?"
"You would do a great deal in order that this might come to pass."
"What do you want?"