Mrs. Errington, on her part, calmly ignored the incident of the morning and appeared not to notice any change in her son's demeanour. In the evening Captain Hindford came to dine. He was struck by Horace's glumness, and in his frank way openly chaffed the boy about it.
"What's up with this young scoundrel?" he said to Mrs. Errington.
Horace grew very red.
"Horace is not very well to-day," said his mother.
"Mater, that's not true—I'm all right."
"I think it more charitable to suppose you seedy," she replied.
"Charitable!" Horace cried. "Well, Mater, what on earth do you know about charity?"
Captain Hindford began to look embarrassed, and endeavoured to change the subject, but Horace suddenly burst out into the story of the beggar.
"It was just after you left us," he said to the Captain.
"I saw the fellow following you," the Captain said. Then he turned to Mrs. Errington. "These chaps are the plague of the Park," he added.