"I am surprised that she should be there;" and I noticed that the Squire's voice seemed tense and angry.
"Surprised! Why?"
He hesitated a second, then went on.
"I had a row with the man this morning. I—I could not help it."
"A row with Mr. Lethbridge?"
"Yes, he made me mad. I tried to act as generously as I could; but there are limits."
I was silent, although, truth to tell, I wanted to know what had caused the Squire's anger.
"I went to see him this morning," he went on presently. "You see, I wanted the platform to be as representative as possible, and knowing that Lethbridge is a large employer of labor, and therefore has a great deal of influence among working men, I thought he might be of value to us. I suppose I ought to have gone to see him before; but the meeting was arranged in a hurry, and—and—anyhow, I didn't. But I went this morning, and asked him to propose the chief resolution."
"And what did he say?"
"He refused pointblank, and added an insulting remark to his refusal."