It was not the first
time she had run up against this spirit, but, as usual, she was at a
loss to explain it. Why should people of Old Jim's class dislike Richard
as they did?--find him so hard to get on with? He was invariably
considerate of them, and treated them very generously with regard to
money. And yet . . . for some reason or other they felt injured by him;
and thought and spoke of him with a kind of churlish resentment. She was
not clever enough to find the key to the riddle--it was no such simple
explanation as that he felt himself too good for them. That was not the
case: he was proud, certainly, but she had never known any one who--
under, it was true, a rather sarcastic manner--was more broadly
tolerant of his fellow-men. And she wound up her soliloquy with the lame
admission: "Yes, in spite of all his kindness, I suppose he IS
queer . . . decidedly queer," and then she heaved a sigh. What a pity it
was! When you knew him to be, at heart, such a dear, good, well-meaning
man.
A short walk brought her to the four-roomed cottage where Ned lived with
wife and children. Or had lived, till lately. He had been missing from
his home now for over a week. On the last occasion of his being in
Melbourne with the carrying-van, he had decamped, leaving the boy who
was with him to make the return journey alone. Since then, nothing could
be heard of him; and his billet in the Agency had been snapped up.
"Or so they say!" said his wife, with an angry sniff.
Pages:
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437
438
439
440
441
442
443
444
445
446
447
448
449
450