"She has had the like before, and has recovered; she will be herself again to-morrow--and, it matters not! sickly and aged folk must expect these accidents. You shall go to Willsworthy to-day." "I cannot indeed, brother, for my father has forbidden it." "Forbidden you going there?" "Yes, brother, when I came back, he asked where I had been, and when I told him he was wrath, and bade me never go there again. He would not, he said, have it appear that he was begging off from the consequences of what you had done." "I have begged off. That is to say--I explained it was all a mistake. I meant no wrong, and so it is covered up and passed over." "That may be, Tony, but against my father's command I cannot go." "It is such folly," said Anthony, "I will go see him myself. You shall go there. I told Urith that I would send you. My father shall not make my word empty." He went by her. She caught his arm, and said, in a low tone, "Brother, why do you make so much now of Urith Malvine? And you treating her as your true love?" "True love!" repeated he, scornfully. "That is the way with all you woman-kind. If one but sees a handsome girl, and speaks two words to her, at once you arrive at the notion that we have chosen each other as true lovers, passed rings and promises, and wished for a marriage licence. Let me go by." He walked into the house, and to his father's room, which he entered without announcing himself. The old man sat by the fire. His account-books were on the table, at his side. The fire was of turf and wood. "What is this, father?" began Anthony, in his imperious fashion, "That you have forbidden Bess to go to see the Malvine family, and the Madame is ill, had a falling fit this morning." "It is not for us to make a scrape and a cringe to the like of them," answered the old man, raising himself in his chair by a hand on each arm, as he had sunk together in the seat. "I take it the Cleverdons need not stoop to that beggar brood." "I did wrong," said Anthony, shortly. "And I have been to Willsworthy, and said I was sorry. I offered to put up a monument of stone to Master Richard Malvine at our own cost." "You did!" "Yes, father, I did, I would do it at my own expense." "You have not a penny but what I allow you, and not one penny would I hand out for such a purpose." "Then it is as well that my offer was refused." "I bade you forbear going to that house when you spake of it this morning." "You advised me not to go; but my conscience spoke louder than your voice, father, and I went." "How were you received?" asked old Cleverdon, with a malignant leer. Anthony shrugged his shoulders: "The old Madam fell into a fit at the sight of me. There was also Luke there."