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a piece of beef； and held it up before the deerhound that had come
in with him。 “Ring the bell for my ale； will you？ You youngsters’
business is your own pleasure； mostly。 There’s no hurry about it
for anybody but yourselves。”
The Squire’s life was quite as idle as his sons’； but it was a
fiction kept up by himself and his contemporaries in Raveloe that
youth was exclusively the period of folly； and that their aged
wisdom was constantly in a state of endurance mitigated by
sarcasm。 Godfrey waited； before he spoke again； until the ale had
been brought and the door closed—an interval during which Fleet；
the deerhound； had consumed enough bits of beef to make a poor
man’s holiday dinner。
“There’s been a cursed piece of ill…luck with Wildfire；” he
began； “happened the day before yesterday。”
“What！ broke his knees？” said the Squire； after taking a
draught of ale。 “I thought you knew how to ride better than that；
sir。 I never threw a horse down in my life。 If I had； I might ha’
whistled for another； for my father wasn’t quite so ready to
unstring as some other fathers I know of。 But they must turn over
a new leaf—they must。 What with mortgages and arrears； I’m as
short o’ cash as a roadside pauper。 And that fool Kimble says the
newspaper’s talking about peace。 Why； the country wouldn’t have
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a leg to stand on。 Prices ’ud run down like a jack； and I should
never get my arrears； not if I sold all the fellows up。 And there’s
that damned Fowler； I won’t put up with him any longer； I’ve told
Winthrop to go to Cox this very day。 The lying scoundrel told me
he’d be sure to pay me a hundred last month。 He takes advantage
because he’s on that outlying farm； and thinks I shall forget him。”
The Squire had delivered this speech in a coughing and
interrupted manner； but with no pause long enough for Godfrey to
make it a pretext for taking up the word again。 He felt that his
father meant to ward off any request for money on the ground of
the misfortune with Wildfire； and that the emphasis he had thus
been led to lay on his shortness of cash and his arrears was likely
to produce an attitude of mind the utmost unfavourable for his
own disclosure。 But he must go on； now he had begun。
“It’s worse than breaking the horse’s knees—he’s been staked
and killed；” he said； as soon as his father was silent； and had
begun to cut his meat。 “But I wasn’t thinking of asking you to buy
me another horse； I was only thinking I’d lost the means of paying
you with the price of Wildfire； as I’d meant to do。 Dunsey took him
to the hunt to sell him for me the other day； and after he’d made a
bargain for a hundred and twenty with Bryce； he went after the
hounds； and took some fool’s leap or other that did for the horse at
once。 If it hadn’t been for that； I should have paid you a hundred
pounds this morning。”
The Squire had laid down his knife and fork； and was staring at
his son in amazement； not being sufficiently quick of brain to form
a probable guess as to what could have caused so strange an
inversion of the paternal and filial relations as this proposition of
his son to pay him a hundred pounds。
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“The truth is； sir—I’m very sorry—I was quite to blame；” said
Godfrey。 “Fowler did pay that hundred pounds。 He paid it to me；
when I was over there one day last month。 And Dunsey bothered
me for the money； and I let him have it； because I hoped I should
be able to pay it you before this。”
The Squire was purple with anger before his son had done
speaking； and found utterance difficult。 “You let Dunsey have it；
sir？ And how long have you been so thick with Dunsey that you
must collogue with him to embezzle my money？ Are you turning
out a scamp？ I tell you I won’t have it。 I’ll turn the whole pack of
you out of the house together； and marry again。 I’d have you to
remember； sir； my property’s got no entail on it； since my
grandfather’s time the Casses can do as they like with their land。
Remember that； sir。 Let Dunsey have the money！ Why should you
let Dunsey have the money？ There’s some lie at the bottom of it。”
“There’s no lie； sir；” said Godfrey。 “I wouldn’t have spent the
money myself； but Dunsey bothered me； and I was a fool； and let
him have it。 But I meant to pay it； whether he did or not。 That’s
the whole story。 I never meant to embezzle money； and I’m not the
man to do it。 You never knew me do a dishonest trick； sir？”
“Where’s Dunsey； then？ What do you stand talking there for？
Go and fetch Dunsey； as I tell you； and let him give account of
what he wanted the money for； and what he’s done with it。 He
shall repent it。 I’ll turn him out。 I said I would； and I’ll do it。 He
shan’t brave me。 Go and fetch him。”
“Dunsey isn’t come back； sir。”
“What！ did he break his own neck； then？” said the Squire； with
some disgust at the idea that； in that case； he could not fulfil his
threat。
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“No； he wasn’t hurt； I believe； for the horse was found dead；
and Dunsey must have walked off。 I daresay we shall see him
again by and by。 I don’t know where he is。”
“And what must you be letting him have my money for？
Answer me that；” said the Squire； attacking Godfrey again； since
Dunsey was not within reach。
“Well； sir； I don’t know；” said Godfrey hesitatingly。 That was a
feeble evasion； but Godfrey was not fond of lying； and； not being
sufficiently aware that no sort of duplicity can long flourish
without the help of vocal falsehoods； he was quite unprepared
with invented motives。
“You don’t know？ I tell you what it is； sir。 You’ve been up to
some trick； and you’ve been bribing him not to tell；” said the
Squire； with a sudden acuteness which startled Godfrey； who felt
his heart beat violently at the nearness of his father’s guess。 The
sudden alarm pushed him on to take the next step—a very slight
impulse suffices for that on a downward road。
“Why； sir；” he said； trying to speak with careless ease； “it was a
little affair between me and Dunsey； it’s no matter to anybody else。
It’s hardly worth while to pry into young men’s fooleries： it
wouldn’t have made any difference to you； sir； if I’d not had the
bad luck to lose Wildfire。 I should have paid you the money。”
“Fooleries！ Pshaw！ it’s time you’d done with fooleries。 And I’d
have you know； sir； you must ha’ done with ’em；” said the Squire；
frowning and casting an angry glance at his son。 “Your goings…on
are not what I shall find money for any longer。 There’s my
grandfather had his stables full o’ horses； and kept a good house；
too； and in worse times； by what I can make out； and so might I； if
I hadn’t four good…for…nothing fellows to hang on me like horse…
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leeches。 I’ve been too good a father to you all—that’s what it is。
But I shall pull up； sir。”
Godfrey was silent。 He was not likely to be very penetrating in
his judgments； but he had always had a sense that his father’s
indulgence had not been kindness； and had had a vague longing
for some discipline that