his sister's children. George was theonly child, so he took it all."
"So he threw up business and went in for a country life."
"Well, he has thrown it up for a time. I am not quite certain he willnot get tired of inactivity, and go back to it. Now that he hascapital, it would be easy for him to embark in something that would keephim occupied, and pay him well."
"Not a sportsman, I suppose, he doesn't care for hunting or shooting?The country is slow for a man if he doesn't do something in that line."
The pretty girl smiled; there was a faint touch of humour in the smile."Oh, he's not rich enough to indulge in luxuries of that sort.Besides," she added hastily, "he has such wretched sight, he would be nogood at sport." Pomfret thought it had been a very pleasant,enlightening conversation. Norah seemed to have been perfectly frankabout their past and their present position. She did not pretend to beanything but what she was, the daughter of a spendthrift father, livingon what was practically the charity of a good-hearted brother. And thatbrother was indebted for his good fortune to a relative who must havebeen a man of the people.
While the two young people were having this confidential chat, MrBurton was making himself agreeable to the other guest, in his doubtlesswell-meant, but somewhat undiplomatic, fashion.
"I do envy you young fellows when I see you walking about as if theworld belonged to you."
Hugh drew himself up stiffly. "I was not in the least aware that anyone of us conveyed that impression."
"No offence meant, I assure you." Hugh's tone showed him that he hadbeen guilty of bad taste: a blessing Norah had not heard--she would havegiven him a bad quarter of an hour later on. "But all army men, Ithink, get a certain kind of swagger. Oh, nothing overbearing orunpleasant about it, of course. They are made so much of that there isno wonder if they do fancy themselves a bit. I'm sure I should if Iwere one of them." Murchison made no comment on this frank statement,and the other man rambled on in desultory fashion.
"It's the life I wanted. As a boy I longed to grow up quickly and gointo the army. There was a fair chance of it then, when the old man hadstill got a bit of money left. But by the time I was old enough theidea had to be knocked on the head. I had to go into a dingystockbroking office instead."
Hugh pricked up his ears at the announcement. He had not suspected thatthe man would be so communicative about his past. Of course he had goneas a clerk. If his father was not well-off enough to put him in thearmy neither could he have afforded to buy him a share in a business.
"Yes," pursued Mr Burton, "it was an awful come down after the dreams Ihad indulged in."
"It must have been a very bitter disappointment," assented Hughpolitely, in spite of his firm conviction that the army was the verylast profession in the world suited to a man of his host's obviouspeculiarities.
"I should have been awfully keen on soldiering," pursued Mr Burton,under the impression that he had discovered a sympathetic listener."Don't you consider it a splendid life?"
"There are many things in its favour, certainly," was the rather frigidreply.
"But, after all, I don't think I should have cared to be in the line;there's not the same glamour about it, is there? You fellows in thecavalry, in a crack regiment like yours, must see the rosy side oflife." He heaved a sigh. "And, of course, you've all got pots of moneyto grease the wheels."
Hugh fidgeted perceptibly. How very vulgar the man was, with an innatevulgarity that nothing would ever eradicate. But his host, absorbed inhis own reflections, did not observe the movement.
"Of course, we know all about you, about the great house of Murchison,you are tiled-in all right." He lowered his voice to a confidentialwhisper: "What about that young chap yonder? I suppose he's rolling inmoney, too?"
It was growing insufferable. For two pins Hugh would have got up andbidden him good night then and there, but he shrank from making a scene.What a fool he had been to come here, to allow his kindly feeling forthat susceptible young donkey of a Pomfret to expose him to such anordeal as this.
"Really, Mr Burton," he said in a cutting voice, "I do not discuss theprivate affairs of my friends on such a brief acquaintance. If you arereally anxious to know, I believe Mr Pomfret has considerableexpectations from an old aunt who is fairly wealthy. Those expectationsdepend, I understand, upon his conforming generally to her wishes in allrespects."
"Ah, I understand," said the unabashed Burton. "Sorry if my questiongave you offence. What really put it in my head was the differencebetween his position and mine when I was his age."
There was silence for some little time, while the two men appliedthemselves steadily to their cigars. Then Burton jumped up suddenly.
"This must be a bit slow for you and your friend, and the night isyoung. What do you say to a game at bridge?"
Yes, Captain Murchison would welcome a game of bridge, anything as arelief to this vulgarian's conversation.
They played for over two hours, Murchison keenly alert from certainsuspicions that had been forming in his mind. At present there was nofoundation for these vague suspicions. They played for small stakes,but the visitors rose up the winners, not by a great amount, but stillwinners.
It was a fine night, the two men walked back to their quarters.
"How did you get on with the charmer? I saw you seemed veryconfidential together," asked the older man.
"Splendidly, old chap. She told me a lot about her history." Pomfretrelated all he had been told in full. "And how did you get on with thebrother?"
"Don't ask me," replied Hugh with a groan. "He's the most insufferablecreature I ever came across. I don't really think I can go there again.At the beginning of the evening he started fairly well, but later hereverted to type."
"Well, I may as well tell you straight, I shall. The next time we goI'll take a share of the brother."
When Pomfret spoke in that tone he meant what he said, and Hugh knew hewould have his own wilful way.
There was one piece of information which the young subaltern had notimparted to his friend.
It was this--that after much pressing, and more than one refusal, MissBurton had agreed to meet him to-morrow afternoon at a very sequesteredspot about a mile and a half from Blankfield, with the view of pursuingtheir acquaintance.
CHAPTER FIVE.
From the night of that dinner-party Murchison noted a subtle differencein his young friend's demeanour. Pomfret had always been a harum-scarumsort of young fellow, accustomed to follow erratic and injudiciousimpulses, not absolutely devoid of brains of a certain order, but ofimperfect and ill-balanced mentality.
But in his wildest escapades he had always been frank and above-board.And he was ever the first, when he had overstepped the border-line, toadmit that he was in the wrong. And on such occasions, far fromjustifying his exploits, he had been ready to deplore them.
But his frankness seemed to have departed from that night. He seemedrather to avoid than seek the society of his old friend and mentor.When Hugh brought up the subject of the Burtons, Pomfret seemed anxiousto avoid it, to say as little as possible. He seemed to shut himself upwithin his own soul.
Hugh, of course, was profoundly uneasy. Such a transparent creature asPomfret would not be likely to retire within his own shell unless therewere cogent reasons for the withdrawal. And the reasons were inspiredby the attractive personality of the fascinating siren at Rosemount, thecharming young woman who explained the presence of an undesirablebrother by the narrative of her father's first unfortunate marriage.
Pomfret had invited the brother and sister to a dinner at the principalhotel in the place, and Hugh had been his friend's guest. Ladies, ofcourse, could not be asked to the Mess. It had been a happy solution ofa somewhat awkward position. Mr Burton no doubt understood, but heaccepted the situation with alacrity.
From the dinner they had adjourned to Rosemount. Here they had playedcards as before, but they left off fairly even. Hugh's suspicions aboutcard-sharping we
re dissipated as before. At the same time, he was stillresolved to keep a watchful eye upon the pair. It was firmly engrainedupon his mind, and only, of course, from the purest instinct, that hedid not trust either of them.
Much to his surprise, they left without having been asked to a returndinner. It was the turn of the Burtons. And judging from the hastewith which Burton had jumped at them on the first visit, the omissionwas a little noticeable. It could not be that these new isolateddwellers in Blankfield wanted to shelve an acquaintance which must havebrightened their dull and unvisited existence.
Another fact presented itself to Murchison's rather acute intelligence.There seemed already established between Pomfret and the attractiveNorah a certain kind of