'And now what do you mean to do with yourself immediately?'
'I'll stay here, sir, as long as you do. Finn and Warburton, and I
have still a few covers to shoot.'
'That's a good reason for staying anywhere.'
'I meant that I would remain while you remained, sir.'
'That at any rate is a good reason, as far as I am concerned. But
we go to Custins next week.'
'There's a deal of shooting to be done at Gatherum,' said the
heir.
'You speak of it as the business of your life,--on which your bread
depended.'
'One can't expect game to be kept up if nobody goes to shoot it.'
'Can't one? I didn't know. I should have thought that the less was
shot the more there would be to shoot; but I am ignorant in such
matters.' Silverbridge then broke forth into a long explanation
as to coverts, gamekeepers, poachers, breeding, and the
expectations of the neighbourhood at large, in the middle of which
he was interrupted by the Duke. 'I am afraid, my dear boy, that I
am too old to learn. But as it is so manifestly a duty, go and
perform it like a man.
Pages:
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613
614
615
616
617
618
619
620
621
622