The working out of small or large plans to
achieve this end had formed one of his most agreeable recreations. He
had long owed Mount Dunstan a debt, which he had always meant to pay. He
had not intended to forget the episode of the nice little village girl
with whom Tenham and himself had been getting along so enormously well,
when the raging young ass had found them out, and made an absurdly
exaggerated scene, even going so far as threatening to smash the pair of
them, marching off to the father and mother, and setting the vicar on,
and then scratching together--God knows how--money enough to pack the
lot off to America, where they had since done well. Why should a man
forgive another who had made him look like a schoolboy and a fool? So,
to find Mount Dunstan rushing down a steep hill into this thing, was
edifying. You cannot take much out of a man if you never encounter him.
If you meet him, you are provided by Heaven with opportunities. You can
find out what he feels most sharply, and what he will suffer most by
being deprived of. His impression was that there was a good deal to be
got out of Mount Dunstan. He was an obstinate, haughty devil, and just
the fellow to conceal with a fury of pride a score of tender places in
his hide.
Pages:
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616