Mr. Brandon pushed the cap up on his brow and gave the tassel over his ear a twirl as he looked at me. People thought him incapable; but it was only because he had no work to do that he seemed so. He would get a bit irritable sometimes; very rarely though; and he had a squeaky voice: but he was a good and just man. "How did you hear this, Johnny?" I told him all about it. What Reed had said, and of our having met the Major on horseback as we drove along. "He came here, but I did not feel well enough to see him," said Mr. Brandon. "Johnny, you know that I stand in place of your father, as regards your property; to do the best I can with it." "Yes, sir. And I am sure you do it." "If Major Parrifer--I don't like the man," broke off Mr. Brandon, "but that's neither here nor there. At the last magistrates' meeting I attended he was so overbearing as to shut us all up. My nerves were unstrung for four-and-twenty hours afterwards." "And Squire Todhetley came home swearing," I could not help putting in. "Ah," said Mr. Brandon. "Yes; some people can throw bile off in that way. I can't. But, Johnny, all that goes for nothing, in regard to the matter in hand: and I was about to point out to you that if Major Parrifer has set his mind upon buying Reed's cottage and the bit of land attached to it, he is no doubt prepared to offer a good price; more, probably, than it is worth. If so, I should not, in your interests, be justified in refusing this." I could feel my face flush with the sense of injustice, and the tears come into my eyes. They called me a muff for many things. "I would not touch the money myself, sir. And if you used it for me, I'm sure it would never bring any good." "What's that, Johnny?" "Money got by oppression or injustice never does. There was a fellow at school----" "Never mind the fellow at school. Go on with your own argument." "To turn Reed out of the place where he has always lived, out of the garden he has done so well by, just because a rich man wants to get possession of it, would be fearfully unjust, sir. It would be as bad as the story of Naboth's vineyard, that we heard read in church last Sunday, for the First Lesson. Tod said so as we came along." "Who's Tod?" "Joseph Todhetley. If you turned Reed out, sir, for the sake of benefiting me, I should be ashamed to look people in the face when they talked of it. If you please, sir, I do not think my father would allow it if he were living. Reed says the place is like his homestead." Mr. Brandon measured two tablespoonfuls of medicine into a glass, drank it off, and ate a French plum afterwards. The plums were on a plate, and he handed them to me. I took one, and tried to crack the stone. "You have taken up a strong opinion on this matter, Master Johnny."