'Of course I will keep it, if it ought to be kept.' 'They want me to marry Julia.' 'What!' 'My cousin Julia. It's an old affair. Perhaps it was not Davis only that made me run away five years ago.' 'Do you mean they asked you;--or did you ask her?' 'Well; I did not ask her. I do not know that I can be more explicit. Nevertheless it is expected; and as I do not mean to do it, you can see that there is a difficulty.' 'I would not go near the place, John.' 'I must.' 'Then you'll have to marry her.' 'I won't.' 'Then there'll be a quarrel.' 'It may be so, but I will avoid it if possible. I must go. I could not stay away without laying myself open to a charge of ingratitude. They were very kind to me in the old days.' Then the subject was dropped; and on the next morning, John wrote to his aunt saying that he would go over to Babington after his return from London. He was going to London on business, and would come back from London to Babington on a day which he named. Then he resolved that he would take Pollington on his way down, knowing that a disagreeable thing to be done is a lion in one's path which should be encountered and conquered as soon as possible. But there was one visit which he must pay before he went up to London. 'I think I shall ride over to-morrow and call on the Boltons,' he said to his father. 'Of course; you can do that if you please.' 'He was a little rough to me, but he was kind. I stayed a night at his house, and he advanced me the money.' 'As for the money, that was a matter of business. He had his security, and, in truth, his interest. He is an honest man, and a very old friend of mine. But perhaps I may as well tell you that he has always been a little hard about you.' 'He didn't approve of Davis,' said the son, laughing. 'He is too prejudiced a man to forget Davis.' 'The more he thinks of Davis, the better he'll think of me if I can make him believe that I am not likely to want a Davis again.' 'You'll find him probably at the bank about half-past two.' 'I shall go to the house. It wouldn't be civil if I didn't call on Mrs. Bolton.' As the squire was never in the habit of going to the house at Chesterton himself, and as Mrs. Bolton was a lady who kept up none of the outward ceremonies of social life, he did not quite understand this; but he made no further objection.