Roger was very kind to her, taking her by the hand, and bidding her sit down, and telling her how glad he was to find that she was comfortably settled with her aunt. 'We were all alarmed, of course, when you went away without telling anybody where you were going.'
'Grandfather'd been that cruel to me that I couldn't tell him.'
'He wanted you to keep your word to an old friend of yours.'
'To pull me all about by the hairs of my head wasn't the way to make a girl keep her word;--was it, Mr Carbury? That's what he did, then;--and Sally Hockett, who is there, heard it. I've been good to grandfather, whatever I may have been to John Crumb; and he shouldn't have treated me like that. No girl'd like to be pulled about the room by the hairs of her head, and she with her things all off, just getting into bed.'
The Squire had no answer to make to this. That old Ruggles should be a violent brute under the influence of gin and water did not surprise him. And the girl, when driven away from her home by such usage, had not done amiss in coming to her aunt. But Roger had already heard a few words from Mrs Pipkin as to Ruby's late hours, had heard also that there was a lover, and knew very well who that lover was. He also was quite familiar with John Crumb's state of mind. John Crumb was a gallant, loving fellow who might be induced to forgive everything, if Ruby would only go back to him; but would certainly persevere, after some slow fashion of his own, and 'see the matter out,' as he would say himself, if she did not go back. 'As you found yourself obliged to run away,' said Roger, 'I'm glad that you should be here; but you don't mean to stay here always?'
'I don't know,' said Ruby.
'You must think of your future life. You don't want to be always your aunt's maid.'
'Oh dear, no.'
'It would be very odd if you did, when you may be the wife of such a man as Mr Crumb.'
'Oh, Mr Crumb! Everybody is going on about Mr Crumb. I don't like Mr Crumb, and I never will like him.'
'Now look here, Ruby; I have come to speak to you very seriously, and I expect you to hear me. Nobody can make you marry Mr Crumb, unless you please.'
'Nobody can't, of course, sir.'