He smiled, slightly raised his
hat, and vanished. I never saw him again. After all, the money had
been GIVEN to the deserving rich, and the soul of Laploshka was at
peace.
THE BAG
"The Major is coming in to tea," said Mrs. Hoopington to her niece.
"He's just gone round to the stables with his horse. Be as bright
and lively as you can; the poor man's got a fit of the glooms."
Major Pallaby was a victim of circumstances, over which he had no
control, and of his temper, over which he had very little. He had
taken on the Mastership of the Pexdale Hounds in succession to a
highly popular man who had fallen foul of his committee, and the
Major found himself confronted with the overt hostility of at least
half the hunt, while his lack of tact and amiability had done much
to alienate the remainder. Hence subscriptions were beginning to
fall off, foxes grew provokingly scarcer, and wire obtruded itself
with increasing frequency. The Major could plead reasonable excuse
for his fit of the glooms.
In ranging herself as a partisan on the side of Major Pallaby Mrs.
Hoopington had been largely influenced by the fact that she had made
up her mind to marry him at an early date. Against his notorious
bad temper she set his three thousand a year, and his prospective
succession to a baronetcy gave a casting vote in his favour. The
Major's plans on the subject of matrimony were not at present in
such an advanced stage as Mrs. Hoopington's, but he was beginning to
find his way over to Hoopington Hall with a frequency that was
already being commented on.
Pages:
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69