CHAPTER XVIII
HOW THE SQUIRE WAS CIRCUMVENTED
The squire was in very good spirits. All the way back from the postoffice he had been congratulating himself on the elegant bargain he wasabout to make. The widow and her son had been obliged to yield. SquireLeech thought more of Herbert than of his mother, for he was convincedthat but for him he could have talked over Mrs. Carter six monthsbefore.
“Serves the boy right,” he said to himself. “It was preposterous in himto oppose my wishes. He might have known I would advise what was best.”
The squire meant what was best for him. He had not given much thoughtwhat would be best for Mrs. Carter.
“Some men would take advantage of their situation and reduce theiroffer,” thought the squire, virtuously, “but I won’t be hard on them.They shall have the three hundred and fifty dollars.”
“Well,” said he cheerfully, as Herbert opened the door, “I believe Ihave given you the time I agreed upon.”
“Yes, sir,” said Herbert.
“Please walk in.”
The squire expected to find him sober and depressed, but in spite ofhimself Herbert could not help looking in good spirits. This puzzledthe squire a little, but he said to himself: “Probably they have decidedthat my offer wasn’t so bad a one, after all.”
“Well,” said the village magnate, “well, Mrs. Carter, now that youhave had time to think over my proposal, you have probably seen itsadvantages.”
“I should not be willing to give up the house, sir. My husband built it,and--”
The squire’s brow darkened. What a perverse, obstinate woman she was!
“That ain’t the question,” he exclaimed, pounding his cane on the floor.“There are many things we don’t want to do that we’ve got to do. Youstand in your own light, ma’am. I have my rights.”
“We don’t deny that, sir,” said Herbert, who enjoyed the squire’sexcitement, knowing how it must end.
“I am glad to hear it,” said the squire; “but it appears to me youthink you and your mother are the only persons to be considered in thismatter.”
“I think my mother is entitled to some consideration.”
“Haven’t I considered her? Haven’t I offered her a most liberal pricefor the place?”
“We don’t call it liberal.”
“Then you are unreasonable. Many men in my position would offer less.Indeed, I don’t think I ought to offer more than three hundred dollars.”
“We would thank you, Squire Leech, if we could see any favor in offeringthree or four hundred dollars less than the house is worth.”
“We have had enough of this nonsense,” said the squire, angrily. “It isnot too late to withdraw my offer.”
“You had better withdraw it,” said Herbert, composedly, “for mother andI have decided to refuse it.”
“Refuse it!” gasped the squire. “What do you mean by such outrageousimpudence?”
“I don’t see how it can be considered impudence. We are not obliged toaccept every offer made us.”
“You are obliged to accept this,” cried Squire Leech, stamping his caneupon the floor again. “You know there is no help for it.”
“How do you make that out, sir?” inquired our hero.
“You can’t pay the interest.”
“I beg your pardon, sir; we are ready to pay.”
“I mean the whole of the interest.”
“So do I.”
“It must be paid at once.”
“It shall be paid at once, Squire Leech. Please make out a receipt.”
Squire Leech was never more astonished in his life. He was not convincedtill Herbert produced what he could distinguish as two ten-dollar billsand one five.
“There will be two dollars and a half change,” said Herbert in abusiness-like manner.
“What did you mean by telling me you could not pay the interest when Iwas here at twelve o’clock?”
“We could not, then, or thought we could not.”
“Then how can you pay me now?”
“We received some money in a letter this morning. The letter had notbeen opened when you were here, so we didn’t know we could meet yourclaims.”
Squire Leech was very angry. He felt that he had been defeated, and thattriumph had slipped over to the other side. But he resolved to make onemore attempt.
“I have the right to refuse this money,” he said. “It comes too late. Itshould have been paid at twelve.”
“I beg your pardon. Squire Leech; you yourself gave us time to consultwhat to do.”
“Because,” said the squire, unguardedly, “I thought you could not paythe interest.”
Herbert could not help smiling.
“We have nothing to do with what you thought.”
The squire frowned and bit his lips with vexation. He tried to think ofsome way of getting over the difficulty but none presented itself. As hedashed off the signature and took the money, he said, angrily: “The timewill come when I will have this place. Your convenient letters won’talways come just in the nick of time.”
“I hope to be prepared for you next time, without having to depend onthat.”
Still, the squire lingered. The fact was, that, though very angry, hewas anxious to know from whom Mrs. Carter had received this opportunehelp.
“Who sent you this letter?” he asked.
“I don’t think we need to tell you that,” said Herbert.
“I have no objection to tell,” said Mrs. Carter. “It was my aunt, NancyCarter, of Randolph, who so kindly remembered us.”
“I wish she’d kept back her letter a day or two,” thought the squire.
“Is she rich?” he asked, abruptly.
“No; she has a very modest income left by her brother; but her wants arefew, and she thought we might need help. She has a good heart.”
“Well, ma’am, as my business is over, I will leave you,” said thesquire, sulkily. “As for that boy of yours,” pointing his finger atHerbert, “I advise you to teach him better manners. He won’t gainanything by his impertinence. If he had acted differently I would havegiven him employment, or got my superintendent to do so.”
“I should have been unable to accept it. Squire Leech,” said Herbert. “Ihave made an engagement already.”
The squire had forgotten this, and it was mortifying to expect that hispatronage was of no importance to the boy whom he detested.
“Good morning!” he said abruptly and left the room
“I am afraid, Herbert, you treated the squire disrespectfully,” saidMrs. Carter.
“I don’t think so, mother, unless to oppose his wishes is to bedisrespectful.”
“He spoke as if he thought you did.”
“I know that, but he wouldn’t if he hadn’t been unreasonable. But I’vegot to go to the hotel in fifteen minutes. Just give me a bite, for I’mawful hungry.”
So the day which Herbert had so much dreaded in advance was marked bytwo pieces of good luck.