"I am glad you like them," said Scott. "I thought you might want to turn them out as lumber."
"As if I should!" she said. "I love them--every one of them. I shall love them better still now I know they are yours."
"Thank you," said Scott.
Eustace turned his attention to him. "No one ever paid you such a compliment as that before, my good Stumpy," he observed. "If everyone saw you in that light, you'd be a great artist by now."
"I wonder," said Scott.
Dinah sent him another swift glance. She seemed on the verge of speech, but checked herself, and there fell a brief silence.
It was broken by the entrance of a servant. "If you please, Sir Eustace, Mr. Grey is in the library and would be glad if you could spare him a few minutes."
Sir Eustace uttered an impatient exclamation. "You go and see what he wants, Stumpy!" he said.
But Scott remained seated. "I know what he wants, my dear chap, and it's something that only you can give. He has come about Bob Jelf who was caught poaching last week. He wants you to give the fellow as light a sentence as possible on account of his wife."
Sir Eustace frowned. "I never give a light sentence for poaching. He's always at it, I'd give him the cat if I could."
Scott raised his shoulders slightly. "Well, don't ask me to say that to Mr. Grey! He's taking the whole business badly to heart, as he was beginning to look on Jelf as a reformed character."
"I'll reform him!" said Sir Eustace. He turned to the servant. "Ask Mr. Grey to join us here!"
"You had better see him alone first," said Scott.
"Why?" His brother turned upon him almost savagely.
Scott took up his tea-cup. "You can't refuse to give him a hearing," he observed. "He has come up on purpose."
Sir Eustace murmured something under his breath and rose. His look fell upon Dinah. "It's the village padre," he said. "I shall have to bring him in here. I hope you don't mind?"
She gave him a quick, half-startled smile. "Of course not."
He turned to the door which the waiting servant was holding open, and strode out with annoyed majesty.
Dinah watched him till the door closed; then very suddenly and urgently she turned to Scott.