But the letter, or letters, which he received from Babington were more difficult to answer even than the Shand despatch. There were three of them,--from his uncle, from Aunt Polly, and from--not Julia--but Julia's second sister; whereby it was signified that Julia's heart was much too heavily laden to allow her to write a simple, cousinly note. The Babington girls were still Babington girls,--would still romp, row boats, and play cricket; but their condition was becoming a care to their parents. Here was this cousin come back, unmarried, with gold at command,--not only once again his father's heir, but with means at command which were not at all diminished by the Babington imagination. After all that had passed in the linen-closet, what escape would there be for him? That he should come to Babington would be a matter of course. The real kindness which had been shown to him there as a child would make it impossible that he should refuse. Caldigate did feel it to be impossible to refuse. Though Aunt Polly had on that last occasion been somewhat hard upon him, had laid snares for him, and endeavoured to catch him as a fowler catches a bird, still there had been the fact that she had been as a mother to him when he had no other mother. His uncle, too, had supplied him with hunting and shooting and fishing, when hunting and shooting and fishing were the great joys of his life. It was incumbent on him to go to Babington,--- probably would be incumbent on him to pay a prolonged visit there. But he certainly would not marry Julia. As to that his mind was so fixed that even though he should have to declare his purpose with some rudeness, still he would declare it. 'My aunt wants me to go over to Babington,' he said to his father. 'Of course she does.' 'And I must go?' 'You know best what your own feelings are as to that. After you went, they made all manner of absurd accusations against me. But I don't wish to force a quarrel upon you on that account.' 'I should be sorry to quarrel with them, because they were kind to me when I was a boy. They are not very wise.' 'I don't think I ever knew such a houseful of fools.' There was no relationship by blood between the Squire of Folking and the Squire of Babington; but they had married two sisters, and therefore Mrs. Babington was Aunt Polly to John Caldigate. 'But fools may be very worthy, sir. I should say that a great many people are fools to you.' 'Not to me especially,' said the squire, almost angrily. 'People who read no books are always fools to those who do read.' 'I deny it. Our neighbour over the water'--the middle wash was always called the water at Folking--'never looks at a book, as far as I know, and he is not a fool. He thoroughly understands his own business. But your uncle Babington doesn't know how to manage his own property,--and yet he knows nothing else. That's what I call being a fool.' 'Now, I'm going to tell you a secret, sir.' 'A secret!' 'You must promise to keep it.'