“Don’t you know me, Mr. Bentham? I am Ben Bruce.”
“Why, so you are! Bless my soul how you have grown! And where have you been this long time?”
“Chiefly in New York and Europe.”
“In Europe? How on earth came you to go there?”
“My expenses were paid by a lady who took an interest in me.”
“You seem to have been born under a lucky star. And now you are coming back to Wrayburn?”
“Yes, but not to stay. Only to see my mother.”
“Then you don’t think you would enjoy working on the farm again?”
“I am sure I wouldn’t.”
“I hope you are sure of making a living elsewhere. It is better to live comfortably on a farm than to live from hand to mouth in a large city.”