George laughed. “Come down for nothing but the shares? But you will make some stay here?”
“No. I go up again to-morrow. I am not sure whether I shall return here for the summer or not. Some friends of mine are going over to Canada for three or four months. Perhaps I may accompany them.”
George devoutly wished his lordship could be off, there and then; and that the sojourn might last years instead of months. “I wish I had the time to go there!” cried he, aloud: “I’d start to-morrow.”
“Will it be troubling you to give me the bonds, Mr. George?”
George sat a few moments, his head bent as if in thought. “The bonds?” he slowly said. “Your bonds? They were sent—yes, certainly, your bonds were sent to our agents in London.”
“My bonds sent to your agents in London!” repeated Lord Averil, in surprise. “What for?”
George coughed. “Some of our deposited deeds are kept there. Let me see?” he continued, again plunging into thought. “Yes—yours were amongst those that went up, I remember.”
“But why not have told me this before?” asked Lord Averil. “Had you written me word, it would have saved me the journey down.”
“To be sure,” acquiesced George. “To tell you the truth, I never thought much about it, or where they were, until now.”
“Mr. Hurde told me they were here,” said Lord Averil.