“I love you so much,” he said enthusiastically. “Now I am the man and I shall look after you. Have you eaten anything since you had your ride?”
“No; I had breakfast quite early and I am not hungry.”
“But that will never do. You must have some wine and a biscuit. Uncle Adrian would wish it. Of course, he intended me to take great care of you. It must have been an awful comfort to him to feel that I was about when he had to leave you. I know where the wine is—I’ll go and fetch it.”
He ran off and returned in a moment or two with a glass of port and a box of biscuits.
Nancy drank off the wine and felt all the better.
“Now you are to come out with me,” said the boy. “I have planned our day. My tutor, Mr. Dixon, is not coming at all to-day. Uncle Adrian said I might have two days’ holiday in order to look properly after you, and won’t we have a good time of it! Are you up to a long, long walk?”
“Yes, anything,” said Nance. “Anything is better than the house.”
“Of course it is, and the day is so lovely. Well, come along, we’ll make for the Rowton Woods. The road is all uphill, remember. You will be pretty dead beat by the time you get there. Suppose we take some luncheon with us?”
“Yes, that will be capital,” said Nancy; “much better than coming back to a stately lunch here.”