’No more do I,’ said Mr. Hodson coolly. ’But for another reason. You call him a Radical, I call him a Tory. But no matter—I don’t mean about politics. Politics?—who but a fool bothers his head about politics—unless he can make money out of them? No, I mean something more practical than that. Here have you and he been together these three days, talking about the one subject nearly all the time—I mean the management of these Highland estates, and the nature of the ground, and what should be done, and all that. Well, now, you are a man of great experience; and I want you to tell me what you think of this young fellow. I want you to tell me honestly; and it will be in strict confidence, I assure you. Now, has he got a good solid grip of the thing? Does he know? Does he catch on? Is he safe? Is he to be trusted?——’ ’Oh, there, there, there!’ said the big estate-agent, interrupting through mere good-nature. ’That’s quite another thing—quite another thing. I’ve not a word to say against him there—no, quite the other way—a shrewd-headed, capable fellow he is, with a groundwork of practical knowledge that no man ever yet got out of books. As sharp-eyed a fellow as I have come across for many a day—didn’t you see how he guessed at the weak points of that Mull place before ever he set foot ashore? Quick at figures, too—oh yes, yes, a capable fellow I call him; he has been posting himself up, I can see; but it’s where his practical knowledge comes in that he’s of value. When it’s a question of vineries, or something like that, then he goes by the book—that’s useless.’ Mr. Hodson listened in silence; and his manner showed nothing. ’I have been thinking he would be a valuable man for me,’ the agent said presently. ’In your office?’ said Mr. Hodson, raising his eyes. ’Yes. And for this reason. You see, if he would only keep away from those d—d politics of his, he is a very good-natured fellow, and he has got an off-hand way with him that makes shepherds, and keepers, and people of that kind friendly; the result is that he gets all the information that he wants—and that isn’t always an easy thing to get. Now if I had a man like that in my office, whom I could send with a client thinking of purchasing an estate—to advise him—to get at the truth—and to be an intelligent and agreeable travelling-companion at the same time—that would be a useful thing.’ ’Say, now,’ continued Mr. Hodson (who was attending mostly to his own meditations), ’do you think, from what you’ve seen of this young man, that he has the knowledge and business-capacity to be overseer—factor, you call it, don’t you?—of an estate—not a large estate, but perhaps about the size of the one we saw yesterday or this one we are going to now? Would he go the right way about it? Would he understand what had to be done—I mean, in improving the land, and getting the most out of it——’ Mr. Carmichael laughed.