CHAPTER XXI.
At breakfast the next morning Major Kent spoke to Meldon in a gentle,
rather hopeless tone. It was as if he had no great expectation of his
words producing any effect.
"I suppose," he said, "that nothing I can say will prevent your
thrusting yourself into the company of this judge to-day."
"If you refer," said Meldon, "to my intention of calling civilly on Sir
Gilbert Hawkesby, nothing you say will alter my view that it is a very
proper thing to do, considering that the man is a stranger in the
locality."
"Then I beg of you, J. J., to be careful. Don't say anything insulting
about Miss King. Remember that she's his niece, and he won't like to
hear her abused. Besides, he'll tell her what you say afterwards, and
it would be very painful to her to hear the sort of accusations you've
been bringing against her since she came to Ballymoy."
"Major," said Meldon, "we've been intimate friends for years, and you
ought to know that, whatever else I may be, I'm always a gentleman. Is
it likely I'd go out of my way to insult a helpless woman?"
"You wouldn't mean to, J. J., but you might do it. Your ideas of what
is insulting are so peculiar.
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