"Poor fellow!" said the Colonel, shrugging his shoulders, half with compassion, half with disgust--he was not very well acquainted with this phase of human nature. Nobody had ever suspected him of being rich, and he remembered, with a half smile, quickly followed by a sigh, the gleeful opposition to established authority, with which young Edward Sutherland, ensign or lieutenant, returned to the charge, when repulsed by a prudent mamma from the vicinity of her daughters. But he soon reverted with ready sympathy to the woes of the disinherited. "This Squire must have been a very imprudent man," he said, "or a very heartless one. Had he no regrets to leave the young man penniless?" "Hoosht, Cornel!--Mr. Roger, sir, he's wild if a man dare whisper a word. He's broke with his acquaintance that he had, and the common sort o' folks, sir, that were sorry for him, and ready to make friends if he wushed--he's quarrelled with half the county, Cornel, because this wan and the tither said their mind o' th' Squire. He wull not have a reproach of him, not a word. He took even mysel' down as fast, I thought the nose was off my face, for saying, in an innocent way, that th' Squire was very free with his money when he had it, and so was seen on him. I would not say, but it's all the better of him, to stand up for wan as cannot stand up for himself no more. And I ne'er knew a man as was deceived in Mr. Roger, Cornel--he's hasty, but he's true. He'll gang in o' the auld wives' cots, and give the children pennies, but never put an affront on a lass, or refused satisfaction to a man, as far as ever I heard, all his born days." "I am glad to know it," said the Colonel, with a little shiver,--"but we are surely making very slow progress. What's happened to the mare? She surely forgets that this is the road to her own stable. Eh?--a beast of her good sense seldom does that." "She's fresh, sir, fresh--she minds no more for her own stable nor I do, Cornel. She's good for twenty mile and more, if there was the occasion," said John, caressing the animal with the end of his whip, but prudently increasing her pace. "And, by-the-bye, I have a question to ask you--Sir John Armitage? What sort of a place has he?--is it near?--is he rich?--and where do you think he is to be found?" said the Cornel rapidly, as they approached near Tillington.