"Capital speech, capital speech," he said out loud, beginning it vaguely for the third time; "what I have always said myself in fact, but I never could get anybody to listen to me. Why--why the devil are they making such a row in the garden?"--as the window became darkened by the passing of many figures--"coming into the hall, are they? Let them come into the hall by all means, _I_ can't stop them, it's no longer my own house, I suppose; but they sha'n't come in here anyhow; I hope I have a remnant of authority left--and--eh, what? is that the beggar laughing? bless him!--that is, confound his impudence! what right has he to laugh when I don't mean to forgive him? I--I've been a weak fool all my life, but I'm not going to give in this time; it--it's a duty I owe to the younger ones to make an example of him, whatever it costs me to do it; not that it costs me anything, of course, not anything at all, of course; he--he has forfeited my love, the--the rascal, and I _won't_ give in this time. Why--why the devil don't they stop his laughing when I mean to cast him off? Pack of women and children, with no sense of the responsibilities of life!--" the columns began to vanish into mist, and the hall seemed filled with one shout of laughter; the Squire gasped and recovered himself--"It's my duty as a father to withhold my forgiveness; what else is a poor man to do when he has such an enormous family? A mountain of debts at his back, I'll be bound, and he thinks he is going to get round me to pay them all--as if I wouldn't help him if I could, bless his--hang his improvidence! but when there are eleven of them--such absurdity on the part of Lettice, always told her it was an unnecessary thing to have such a tribe of them; but there! no one ever has listened to me, and now they must bear the consequences among them. Wh--what? who's that at the door? There's no one in here, I tell you, the--the room's empty, and I don't mean to see you--I'm not going to be made a fool of when I've kept it up all day--why doesn't he go away, eh?" The Squire's voice had sunk into a whisper, and the "Daily Liberal" shook like a leaf in the breeze. "And the dear old guv, where is he? Why doesn't he come out as he always does? Hasn't any one told him I am here?" "I tell you this is my room; it isn't much that belongs to me, except five sons doing nothing, and six unmarried daughters, but--but this room is my property, and I won't have any one in, I tell you--what a fool I was not to lock the door--eh, what? who's that, eh? Damn the looking-glass!" There was a mirror over the fireplace, and the fireplace was opposite the door. It was too much for Sir Marcus; if the boy had shown the least sign of shame, of nervousness at meeting him, it would have been easier to keep up a semblance of anger; but, as usual, Jack's bluntness of vision saved him where finer instincts would have been his ruin.