Or perhaps it arises from a more
chronic cause--a constant gnawing anxiety. I have known men as young as
you whose hair was as grey."
"Poor brutes!" he muttered. "I pity them."
"If you can manage to slip down to Branksome at times," I said, "perhaps
you could bring Miss Heatherstone with you. I know that my father and
my sister would be delighted to see her, and a change, if only for an
hour or two, might do her good."
"It would be rather hard for us both to get away together," he answered,
"However, if I see a chance I shall bring her down. It might be managed
some afternoon perhaps, for the old man indulges in a siesta
occasionally."
We had reached the head of the winding lane which branches off from the
high road and leads to the laird's house, so my companion pulled up.
"I must go back," he said abruptly, "or they will miss me. It's very
kind of you, West, to take this interest in us. I am very grateful to
you, and so will Gabriel be when she hears of your kind invitation.
It's a real heaping of coals of fire after that infernal placard of my
father's."
He shook my hand and set off down the road, but he came running after me
presently, calling me to stop.
"I was just thinking," he said, "that you must consider us a great
mystery up there at Cloomber. I dare say you have come to look upon it
as a private lunatic asylum, and I can't blame you. If you are
interested in the matter, I feel it is unfriendly upon my part not to
satisfy your curiosity, but I have promised my father to be silent about
it.
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