"The advertis.e.m.e.nt doesn"t say."
"He wasn"t wearing it----" Cicely pulled herself up sharply.
"When?" asked Lady Cromarty.
"Where can I have seen him last?" wondered Cicely with an innocent air.
"Not for two or three weeks certainly," said Lady Cromarty decisively.
"And he can"t have lost it then if this advertis.e.m.e.nt is only just put in."
"No, of course not," Cicely agreed.
"Well," said Sir Reginald, "he"ll miss his ring more than his brother!
And remember, Cicely, you get a pound for finding the ring, and you win a pair of gloves if you can tempt Simon to stray from the paths of honesty and virtue! By Jingo, I"ll give you the gloves if you can even make him tell a good sporting lie!"
When the good baronet was in this humour no man could excel him in geniality, and, to do him justice, a kindly temper and hearty spirits were the rule with him six days out of seven. On the other hand, he was easily ruffled and his tempers were hot while they lasted. Upon the very next morning there arose on the horizon a little cloud, a cloud that seemed at the moment the merest fleck of vapour, which upset him, his family thought, quite unduly.
It took the form of a business letter from Mr. Simon Rattar, a letter on the surface perfectly innocuous and formally polite. Yet Sir Reginald seemed considerably disturbed.
"d.a.m.n the man!" he exclaimed as he cast it on the breakfast table.
"Reggie!" expostulated his wife gently. "What"s the matter?"
"Matter?" snapped her husband. "Simon Rattar has the impudence to tell me he is letting the farm of Castleknowe to that fellow Shearer after all!"
"But why not? You meant to some time ago, I know."
"Some time ago, certainly. But I had a long talk with Simon ten days ago and told him what I"d heard about Shearer and said I wouldn"t have the fellow on my property at any price. I don"t believe the man is solvent, in the first place; and in the second place he"s a socialistic, quarrelsome, mischievous fellow!"
"And what did Mr. Rattar think?"
"He tried to make some allowances for the man, but in the end when he saw I had made up my mind, he professed to agree with me and said he would look out for another tenant. Now he tells me that the matter is settled as per my instructions of the 8th. That"s weeks ago, and not a word does he say about our conversation cancelling the whole instructions!"
"Then Shearer gets the farm?"
"No, he doesn"t! I"m dashed if he does! I shall send Mr. Simon a letter that will make him sit up! He"s got to alter the arrangement somehow."
He turned to Malcolm and added:
"When your time comes, Malcolm, beware of having a factor who has run the place so long that he thinks it"s his own property! By Gad, I"m going to tell him a bit of my mind!"
During the rest of breakfast he glanced at the letter once or twice, and each time his brows contracted, but he said nothing more in presence of Cicely and Malcolm. After he had left the dining room, however, Lady Cromarty followed him and said:
"Don"t be too hasty with Mr. Rattar, Reggie! After all, the talk may have slipped his memory."
"Slipped his memory? If you had heard it, Margaret, you"d know better. I was a bit cross with him for a minute or two then, which I hardly ever am, and that alone would make him remember it, one would think. We talked for over an hour on the business and the upshot was clear and final. No, no, he has got a bit above himself and wants a touch of the curb."
"What are you going to do?" she asked.
"I"m going to send in a note by car and tell him to come out and see me about the business at once."
"Let me see the letter before you send it, Reggie."
He seemed to growl a.s.sent, but when she next saw him the letter had gone; and from the baronet"s somewhat crusty explanation, she suspected that it was a little sharper than he knew she would have approved.
When the car returned his annoyance was increased again for a s.p.a.ce. Mr.
Rattar had sent a brief reply that he was too busy to come out that afternoon, but he would call on Sir Reginald in the morning. For a time this answer kept Sir Reginald in a state of renewed irritation, and then his natural good humour began to prevail, till by dinner time he was quite calm again, and after dinner in as genial humour as he had been in the day before.
He played a game of pyramids with Cicely and Malcolm in the billiard room, and then he and Cicely joined Lady Cromarty in the drawing room while the young author went up to his room to work, he declared. He had a large bedroom furnished half as a sitting room where he retired each night to compose his masterpieces as soon as it became impossible to enjoy Miss Farmond"s company without having to share it in the drawing room with his host and hostess. At least, that was the explanation of his procedure given by Lady Cromarty, whose eye was never more critical than when it studied her husband"s kinsman and heir.
Lady Cromarty"s eye was not uncritical also of Cicely at times, but to-night she was so relieved to see how Sir Reginald"s temper improved under her smiles and half shy glances, that she let her stay up later than usual. Then when she and the girl went up to bed, she asked her husband if he would be late.
"The magazines came this morning," said he. "I"d better sleep in my dressing room."
The baronet was apt to sit up late when he had anything to read that held his fancy, and the procedure of sleeping in his dressing room was commonly followed then.
He bade them good-night and went off towards the library, and a few minutes later, as they were going upstairs, they heard the library door shut.
When they came to Lady Cromarty"s room, Cicely said good-night to her hostess and turned down the pa.s.sage that led to her own bedroom. A door opened quietly as she pa.s.sed and a voice whispered:
"Cicely!"
She stopped and regarded the young author with a reproving eye.
"Is anything the matter?" she asked.
"I just wanted to speak to you!" he pleaded.
"Now, Malcolm," she said severely, "you know quite well that Lady Cromarty trusts us _not_ to do this sort of thing!"
"She"s in her room, isn"t she?"
"What does that matter?"
"And where"s Sir Reginald?"
"Still in the library."
"Sitting up late?"
"Yes, but that doesn"t matter either. Good night!"
"Wait just one minute, Cicely! Come into my room--I won"t shut the door!"
"Certainly not!" she said emphatically.
"Well then, don"t speak so loudly! I must confide in you, Cicely; I"m getting desperate. My position is really serious. Something"s got to happen! If you would only give me your sympathy----"