The grievance this morning, however, was not about any of these things: it concerned a more personal matter of Miss Thornycroft's. While she was reading a letter from Susan Hunter, fixing the day of the promised visit, Richard came in. He accused her of expecting visitors, and flatly ordered her to write and stop their coming. A few minutes of angry contention ensued, neither side giving way in the smallest degree: she said her friends should come, Richard said they should not. He strode away to find his father. The justice was in the four-acre paddock with his gun. "This girl's turning the house upside down," began Richard. "We shall not be able to keep her at home." "What girl? Do you mean Mary Anne?" "There's nobody else I should mean," returned the young man, who was not more remarkable for courtesy of speech, even to his father, than he used to be. "I'd pretty soon shell out anybody else who came interfering. She has gone and invited some fellow and his sister down to stay for a week, she says. We can't have prying people here just now." "Don't fly in a flurry, Dick. That's the worst of you." "Well, sir, I think it should be stopped. For the next month, you know--" "Yes, yes, I know," interposed the justice. "Of course." "After that, it would not so much matter," continued Richard. "Not but that it would be an exceedingly bad precedent to allow it at all. If she begins to invite visitors here at will, there's no knowing what the upshot might be." "I'll go and speak to her," said Mr. Thornycroft. "Here, take the gun, Dick." Walking slowly, giving an eye to different matters as he passed, speaking a word here, giving an order there, the justice went on after the fashion of a man whose mind is at ease. It never occurred to him that his daughter would dispute his will. "What is all this, Mary Anne?" he demanded, when he reached her. "Richard tells me you have been inviting some people to stay here." Miss Thornycroft rose respectfully. "So I have, papa. Susan Hunter was my great friend at school; she is remaining there for the holidays, which of course is very dull, and I asked her to come here for a week. Her brother will bring her." "They cannot come," said Mr. Thornycroft. "Not come!" "No. You must understand one thing, Mary Anne--that you are _not at liberty_ to invite people indiscriminately to the Red Court I cannot sanction it." A hard look of resentment crossed her face; opposition never answered with the Thornycrofts, Cyril excepted: he was just as yielding as the rest were obstinate. "I have invited them, papa. The time for the visit is fixed, the arrangements are made." "I tell you, they cannot come."