But the Squire and his son, Frank, were large-hearted generous
creatures in the article of apology, as in all things less skimpingly
dealt out. And seeing that Leonard Fairfield would offer no plaister
to Randal Leslie, they made amends for his stinginess by their own
prodigality. The Squire accompanied his son to Rood Hall, and none of
the family choosing to be at home, the Squire in his own hand, and
from his own head, indited and composed an epistle which might have
satisfied all the wounds which the dignity of the Leslies had ever
received.
This letter of apology ended with a hearty request that Randal would
come and spend a few days with his son. Frank's epistle was to the same
purport, only more Etonian and less legible.
It was some days before Randal's replies to these epistles were
received. The replies bore the address of a village near London, and
stated that the writer was now reading with a tutor preparatory to
entrance at Oxford, and could not, therefore, accept the invitation
extended to him.
For the rest, Randal expressed himself with good sense, though not
with much generosity. He excused his participation in the vulgarity
of such a conflict by a bitter but short allusion to the obstinacy
and ignorance of the village boor; and did not do what you, my kind
reader, certainly would have done under similar circumstances--viz.
intercede in behalf of a brave and unfortunate antagonist. Most of us
like a foe better after we have fought him--that is, if we are the
conquering party; this was not the case with Randal Leslie. There, so
far as the Etonian was concerned, the matter rested. And the Squire,
irritated that he could not repair whatever wrong that young gentleman
had sustained, no longer felt a pang of regret as he passed by Mrs
Fairfield's deserted cottage.