“I’d never sell you one of those—they’re not worth paying for. It’s only I’m that soft-hearted I couldn’t think of drowning them. I got rid of the last litter quite easily, just giving them away. So I’ll be grateful if you’ll accept one.”
“Thank you—but I really couldn’t allow—I mean....”
“Won’t you come up to the place and look at them? You’ll see for yourself they’re not much. I could let you have a really good retriever-pup later, but these collies—it’s just my sister’s Lizzie that one of our old men gave her years ago, and she’s no particular breed, and the sire’s their dog at Wickham.”
“Thanks ever so much—but you’re out with your gun, so I won’t trouble you to turn back.”
She wondered if he would make any explanation, offer some apology for carrying his gun over Alard fields. But he merely urged her again to come up to Fourhouses, and slack after her conflict, she gave way and turned with him.
“Are you bothered much with rabbits?” she asked as they walked up the hill. “We’re simply over-run with them at Conster.”
“They’re pretty bad, especially now the corn’s up. I generally take out my gun when I go round the place.”
“But is this your land?—I thought I was still on ours.”
“This is the land I have just bought from your father, Miss Alard. It was yours three months ago, but it belongs to Fourhouses now.”