She confided nothing to anybody, but just went about her daily round of labours in a quiet, pensive way, striving by every means to lighten her mother’s burden and to help her brother to the path which their father before them had so diligently trodden.
Her patience had now given way under the wearing tide of Hervey’s dissatisfaction, and it seemed as though a rupture between them were imminent.
“Oh, well enough, if you consider bare duty,” Hervey retorted after a deliberate pause.
“Bare duty, indeed!” Prudence’s two brown eyes flashed round on him in an instant. “You are the sort of man who should speak of duty, Hervey. You just ought to be ashamed of yourself. Your mother’s debt of duty towards you was fulfilled on the day you left the farm years ago. She provided you with liberal capital to start you in life. Now you have come back, and she welcomes you with open arms––we both do––glad that you should be with us again. And what return have you made to her for her goodness? I’ll tell you; you have brought her nothing but days of unhappiness with your lazy, grumbling ways. If you are going to continue like this, for goodness’ sake go away again. She has enough on her shoulders without being worried by you.”
The man looked for a moment as though he were going to give expression to some very nasty talk. Prudence had returned to her pans and so lost the evil glance of his expressive eyes. Then his look changed to a mocking smile, and when he spoke his words were decidedly conciliating.
“I’m afraid I’ve done something to offend you, Prue. But you shouldn’t use hard words like that I know I’m not much of a farmer, and I am always a bit irritable when I am not my own master. But don’t let’s quarrel. I wanted to talk to you about George Iredale. He seems a jolly decent fellow––much too good to be kicking his heels about in such a district as Owl Hoot. He’s extremely wealthy, isn’t he?”
The girl felt angry still, but Hervey’s tone slightly 142 mollified her. She answered shortly enough, and the skimming of the milk was not done with the adeptness which she usually displayed.
“Rich? Yes, he’s one of the richest men in Manitoba. Why?”
“Oh, I don’t know. He seems very interested in––us. He’s always over here. And he never by any chance loses an opportunity of ingratiating himself with mother. I wonder what his object is?”