"And what do you think about it? I don't see why Lord Rufford is to
ride over everybody because he's a lord." Mr. Twentyman scratched
his head. Though a keen sportsman himself, he did not specially
like Lord Rufford,--a fact which had been very well known to Mrs.
Masters. But, nevertheless, this threatened action against the
nobleman was distasteful to him. It was not a hunting affair, or
Mr. Twentyman could not have doubted for a moment. It was a
shooting difficulty, and as Mr. Twentyman had never been asked to
fire a gun on the Rufford preserves, it was no great sorrow to him
that there should be such a difficulty. But the thing threatened
was an attack upon the country gentry and their amusements, and Mr.
Twentyman was a country gentleman who followed sport. Upon the
whole his sympathies were with Lord Rufford.
"The man is an utter blackguard, you know," said Larry. "Last year
he threatened to shoot the foxes in Dillsborough Wood."
"No!" said Kate, quite horrified.
"I'm afraid he's a bad sort of fellow all round," said the
attorney.
"I don't see why he shouldn't claim what he thinks due to him,"
said Mrs. Masters.
"I'm told that his lordship offered him seven-and-six an acre for
the whole of the two fields," said the gentleman-farmer.
"Goarly declares," said Mrs. Masters, "that the pheasants didn't
leave him four bushels of wheat to the acre.
Pages:
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42