She had never been here before, but Red House was familiar to her husband. Mrs. Bullstone appeared at the door and in five minutes the party sat at dinner. The parlour was a plain room with a solid table, solid chairs and a solid and enormous sideboard bright with cups and trophies won by Bullstone terriers. A few dog portraits hung upon the walls, and the empty grate was heaped with red pine cones. Jacob sat at the head of the table and his mother at the foot, while Margery and her father were on Bullstone's left, Mrs. Huxam and Jeremy upon the right. The master devoted himself to his future mother-in-law. "Margery favours you, ma'am," he said, "and Master Jeremy's like his father." Judith considered the suggestion. "I wouldn't say that altogether," she answered. "My children's more Huxam than Pulleyblank; but Thomas, my eldest boy--who died so brave doing his duty two years ago--he was very like me." "The daps of his mother was our dear Thomas," added Barlow. Then he sighed. "Thomas was all Pulleyblank, same as I am," continued Mrs. Huxam. "A good young man." "A sad loss for you," said Mrs. Bullstone. "No; don't think that. I'm not one of those who say, 'What Thou doest we know not now.' That's too grudging to the Lord. I know where Thomas went, and faith is but an idle word if it can't help you to face the Divine Will. When God sends for a young man, his mother ought to be gay and proud to let him go." "No doubt, no doubt," murmured Mrs. Bullstone. "Faith is a fine thing carried to such a pitch," admitted Jacob. "Yes," assented Barlow Huxam, "but, all the same, when you think on the details of that fatal catastrophe, you feel bound to say, 'What Thou doest we know not now.' For look at it. What happened? Our Thomas sees a runaway hoss with a trap behind it, and a man and woman in the trap. And like the chap he was, without a thought of self, he goes for the creature's head. But he was carried off his legs in an instant moment, and though he stopped the hoss and saved the man and woman alive by so doing, the shaft struck him under the ribs and he lived but three hours afore he went to his reward. And who did he save? He saved Squire Blake's son and a scarlet woman he was driving to Plymouth; and Marsden Philip Blake was drunk as a lord at the time, else the badly used hoss wouldn't have run away." "All true," said Judith quietly, "and to the common eye it will always be matter for wonder that Providence worked like that. But no wonder to me. Marsden Blake's not forgot. He was saved for a deep reason, and before we die, we shall know it." "He was up here with the otter hounds last week," said Jacob Bullstone. "Wait and watch," answered Mrs. Huxam. "Time will show why my Thomas was called to save that man. It won't be hid from this generation." Barlow guided the conversation into cheerfuller channels and praised the sucking-pig; but he declined the decanter of brown sherry. "All water drinkers," he said.