"These ain't your vitals. A man gets cured of it,--almost always. I believe always; though some men get hit so hard they can never bring themselves to try it again. But tell me this. Has old Wharton given his consent?" "No. He has refused," said Arthur with strong emphasis. "How is it to be, then?" "He has dealt very fairly by me. He has done all he could to get rid of the man,--both with him and with her. He has told Emily that he will have nothing to do with the man. And she will do nothing without his sanction." "Then it will remain just as it is." "No, John; it will not. He has gone on to say that though he has refused,--and has refused roughly enough,--he must give way if he sees that she has really set her heart upon him. And she has." "Has she told you so?" "No;--but he has told me. I shall have it out with her to-morrow, if I can. And then I shall be off." "You'll be here for shooting on the 1st?" "No. I dare say you're right in what you say about sticking to my work. It does seem unmanly to run away because of a girl." "Because of anything! Stop and face it, whatever it is." "Just so;--but I can't stop and face her. It would do no good. For all our sakes I should be better away. I can get shooting with Musgrave and Carnegie in Perthshire. I dare say I shall go there, and take a share with them." "That's better than going into all the quarters of the globe." "I didn't mean that I was to surrender and start at once. You take a fellow up so short. I shall do very well, I've no doubt, and shall be hunting here as jolly as ever at Christmas. But a fellow must say it all to somebody." The elder brother put his hand out and laid it affectionately upon the younger one's arm. "I'm not going to whimper about the world like a whipped dog. The worst of it is so many people have known of this." "You mean down here." "Oh;--everywhere. I have never told them. It has been a kind of family affair and thought to be fit for general discussions." "That'll wear away." "In the meantime it's a bore. But that shall be the end of it. Don't you say another word to me about it, and I won't to you. And tell mother not to, or Sarah." Sarah was John Fletcher's wife. "It has got to be dropped, and let us drop it as quickly as we can. If she does marry this man I don't suppose she'll be much at Longbarns or Wharton." "Not at Longbarns certainly, I should say," replied John. "Fancy mother having to curtsey to her as Mrs. Lopez! And I doubt whether Sir Alured would like him. He isn't of our sort. He's too clever, too cosmopolitan,--a sort of man white-washed of all prejudices, who wouldn't mind whether he ate horseflesh or beef if horseflesh were as good as beef, and never had an association in his life. I'm not sure that he's not on the safest side. Good night, old fellow. Pluck up, and send us plenty of grouse if you do go to Scotland."