‘Well, they did not understand you; and when they saw things coming in in the raw state at higher prices than could be got for them when made up, they didn’t see where the profit you spoke of was to come from.’
‘Oh——!’ murmured Philip, curiosity aroused, and the note passing through the stages of surprise and perplexity to suspicion. ‘Why have you not told me about this before?’
‘It weren’t my place, sir; Mr Wrentham has charge of these things.’
A pause, during which Philip tried a paper-knife on the desk as if it were a rapier. Then: ‘All right; I’ll see about that. But you have not answered me as to yourself. You are sulking for some reason. You say it is not the loss of the men which has put you out of sorts; I know it is nothing connected with me, or you would tell me. Then what is it?’
There was no answer; but Caleb bowed his head and moved as if he wished to go.
‘You have not heard anything about Pansy?’ said Philip suddenly, moved by a good-natured desire to discover the cause of the man’s depression, in the hope that he might be able to relieve it.
There was a lurch of the broad shoulders, and Caleb’s dark eyes flashed like two bull’s-eye lanterns on his master. ‘No—have you?’
The question was an awkward one for Philip, remembering what he had thought about the attentions of his brother to the gardener’s daughter. He was immediately relieved from his unpleasant position by Caleb himself. ‘No—I won’t ask you that, sir; it ’ud be hard lines for you to have to speak about’——
The rest was a mumble, and Caleb again moved towards the door. Philip called him back. ‘I won’t pretend not to know what you mean, Kersey,’ he said kindly; ‘but if you listen to what is said by envious wenches or spiteful lads, you are a confounded fool. Trust her, man; trust her. That is the way to be worthy of a worthy woman.’
‘And the way to be fooled by an unworthy one,’ said Wrentham, who came in as the last sentence was being uttered. Then seeing Philip’s frown and Caleb’s scowl, he added apologetically: ‘I beg your pardon. I thought and hope you were speaking generally, not of any one in particular.’