"You must, mamma, if we are to stay till we go to the Gores. Lord
Rufford is here in the neighbourhood."
"But they don't know each other."
"Yes they do;--slightly. I am to go to the meet someday and he'll
be there."
"It might be dangerous."
"Nonsense, mamma! And after all you've been saying about dropping
Mr. Morton!"
"But there is nothing so bad as a useless flirtation."
"Do I ever flirt? Oh, mamma, that after so many years you shouldn't
know me! Did you ever see me yet making myself happy in any way?
What nonsense you talk!" Then without waiting for, or making, any
apology, she walked off to her own room.
CHAPTER XIV
The Dillsborough Feud
"It's that nasty, beastly, drunken club," said Mrs. Masters to her
unfortunate husband on the Wednesday morning. It may perhaps be
remembered that the poisoned fox was found on the Saturday, and it
may be imagined that Mr. Goarly had risen in importance since that
day. On the Saturday Bean with a couple of men employed by Lord
Rufford, had searched the wood, and found four or five red herrings
poisoned with strychnine. There had been no doubt about the
magnitude of the offence. On the Monday a detective policeman,
dressed of course in rustic disguise but not the less known to
every one in the place, was wandering about between Dillsborough
and Dillsborough Wood and making futile inquiries as to the
purchase of strychnine,--and also as to the purchase of red
herrings.
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