BACK AT THE FARM.
The position of the Hau-Haus was naturally a very strong one, being at
the top of a high conical peak rising abruptly from low bush-covered
hills to a height of two thousand feet. On the face, which had been
before attacked, the ground sloped gradually up to the summit, but on
the right and left the slope was very steep, and at one point there had
been a landslip leaving a perpendicular face twenty feet high, and below
that, for fifty feet, it was so steep that it was difficult to get a
footing. The ground in rear of the position narrowed into a razor-backed
ridge down which a track led, with rope-ladders to aid the descent of
the rock terraces.
The position in front, where alone it could be attacked, was defended by
three lines of earthworks with high parapets, and with ditches in front
abutting at either end on the steep slopes. The two lower works were
seven feet high, the upper work was nearly fourteen feet high, with
sandbag loopholes to enable the defenders to fire through. Each line was
connected with the one above it by covered ways. Operations commenced by
the advance of the Arawa division of the constabulary, and a portion of
the Ngatiporou under Rapata. Advancing quietly and cautiously they came
upon a party of the enemy engaged in carrying up water. They drove them
up to the pah and took possession of the only water available.
Rifle-pits were now dug and pushed forward gradually until within a
hundred yards of the enemy's first lines of defence. Number seven
division of the constabulary were now sent up, and these threw up a long
line of trenches parallel to the enemy's works; and the artillerymen
having with great exertion brought up a mortar, a vertical shell-fire
was opened upon the enemy's position with great effect; although to get
them to the spot these shells had to be carried on the men's backs for
three miles over some terrific ravines. A hundred constabulary under
Colonel Fraser and a hundred Ngatiporou were sent round to cut off the
enemy's retreat in rear. Another division of constabulary under Major
Roberts connected the two parties, and thus all escape of the enemy was
cut off, with the exception of the small piece of cliff, seventy yards
in length, which was believed impossible to descend, and was moreover
exposed to a flanking fire from Rapata's force in front and that of
Colonel Fraser in the rear.
For some days heavy firing went on, and the hardships suffered by the
force were great, for the rain fell without intermission. There were
many casualties on both sides. Captain Brown of the constabulary was
killed, and Captain Cabel of the same corps severely wounded. Colonel
Fraser's men pushed up the ridge in the enemy's rear, and formed
rifle-pits near the summit from which the Hau-Haus made desperate but
vain attempts to repel them. On the 4th of January Rapata, after
consultation with Colonel Whitmore, determined to storm the lower line
of earthworks.
He told off fifty picked men, and sent them round with instructions to
scale the cliff at the point where the parapet ended. The work was a
dangerous and difficult one, for the cliff was very steep and gravelly,
and the Hau-Haus crowded to the end of the trench and fired down,
wounding five of the stormers. But to do this they had to expose
themselves, and suffered severely from the fire of the men told off to
cover the attack. Finally the Ngatiporou succeeded in climbing up under
the outer face of the parapet, which they cut through with their spades,
and opening a raking fire upon the Hau-Haus drove them out and took
possession of the first line of defence.
All night a sap was carried upwards towards the second line, with the
intention of blowing up the earthworks and storming the main works next
morning, and two hundred picked men were assembled in the trenches ready
to attack at daybreak. But at two o'clock in the morning a woman cried
out from within the pah that the Hau-Haus had all left leaving only some
wounded men and women and children. Her words were not at first
believed, and they were considered to be only a ruse to induce the
assailants to advance up the hill under the enemy's fire. But at
daybreak it was found that the news was true, that the whole of the
Hau-Haus had escaped, by means of ropes, down the face of the
perpendicular cliff.
Rapata with his men started in pursuit. He followed the Hau-Hau trail
for some distance, and then scattered his men in small parties as he
guessed that the enemy would scatter in search of food. A hundred and
twenty of the Hau-Haus were overtaken and killed, and Rapata returned
after an absence of two days. By this time the whites and constabulary
had left, as the work had now been done and the constabulary were
urgently needed elsewhere. Rapata marched back by a circuitous way,
captured eighty more prisoners, men, women, and children, whom he
brought alive down into the settlement. Te Kooti had lost altogether
during the siege and pursuit a hundred and fifty of his men, but he was
still believed in by the natives, three tribes joining him at once, more
than making up for the loss he had suffered.
Mr. Atherton and the other volunteers with Colonel Whitmore's force had
taken but small share in the second attack upon Te Kooti's position, not
being attached to any regular force. Rapata had been greatly struck with
the coolness of Mr. Atherton and Wilfrid in his first attack, and
astonished at the accuracy of their shooting, and had greeted them very
heartily on his return, and invited them to act with his force. They
had, therefore, during the siege taken up their position in some
rifle-pits in the rear of his party, and from here had done great
service to the Ngatiporou by covering them from the enemy's fire, for
the Hau-Haus soon learned that it was almost certain death to stand up
to take a steady aim above the parapet.
After the defeat of the Hau-Haus many of the natives of Poverty Bay who
had joined Te Kooti, and taken a prominent part in the massacres,
deserted him, and calmly returned to the settlement as if nothing had
taken place, and the authorities allowed them to remain unmolested. The
settlers, justly indignant that men who had so lately murdered women and
children should be allowed to come down among them with impunity, formed
themselves into a vigilance committee, and some of them who had lost
relatives in the massacre bound themselves by oath to shoot the next
party of ruffians who made their appearance.
An opportunity soon offered. A native who had assisted in murdering Mr.
Wylie's son came in, and was shot by Mr. Benson. The following morning,
to his astonishment, Benson was warned to attend as juryman at the
inquest of his victim. In vain he assured the native constable that he
was the man who had done the deed, and that he ought not therefore to
sit. The constable refused to entertain the excuse, and so Benson not
only sat on his own trial but gave evidence against himself, and the
jury, among whom was Mr. Atherton, having heard his statement, brought
in the following verdict: "We find that the deceased was shot by some
person unknown, and served him right."
The day after this verdict was returned Mr. Atherton and Wilfrid, who
had been waiting ten days for a coasting craft, sailed for the Mohaka
river, and, landing at Mr. Mitford's, borrowed two horses from him, and
were soon at The Glade.
"I am afraid I am heavy on a horse still, Wilfrid," Mr. Atherton said as
they started, "but this animal may be thankful that I did not ride him
the last time I was here. I calculate I must be at least four stone
lighter than I was."
"You certainly have lost a good deal of flesh, Mr. Atherton. I almost
wonder that you did not continue with our friend Rapata. He declares
that he will follow up Te Kooti till he catches him if it takes him a
couple of years."
"No, no, Wilfrid," Mr. Atherton laughed, "it is possible to have too
much of a good thing. I might jog along with a colonial force well
enough and benefit by it, but Rapata and his men would kill me in a
week. I do not think those fellows know what it is to be tired. No, I am
very well contented, and I intend to do no end of work in the woods and
keep myself down to my present weight. There is an immense deal to be
done in the way of botanizing. I have already found twelve new sorts of
ferns, and I have only just begun, and have not even looked at the
orchids yet or the mosses."
"I should have thought, Mr. Atherton, that it would have been well worth
your while to go in for collecting and sending home rare and new plants,
instead of merely drying specimens for your herbarium. I know new
orchids fetch a tremendous price, because a gentleman near us at home
had a large house full of them, and I know he used to pay what seemed to
me prodigious prices for little scraps of plants not a bit more
beautiful than the others, simply because they were rare."
"The idea is a very good one, Wilfrid, and I will think it over. I have
never gone in for collecting in that way, for my income has been amply
sufficient for my wants, but there can be no doubt that in these days,
when people are ready to give such large sums for rare plants, a
botanist like myself might make a really good thing of it out here. The
woods are literally crowded with rare plants, and it would add to the
interest of my excursions. As it is now I simply look for new species,
and even here these are hard to discover; but if I took to getting rare
specimens for sending home, there would be an unlimited field of work
for me. Of course the difficulty is getting them home alive, for in a
country like this, where there is practically no winter, they are never
in an entirely quiescent state, and would require the most careful
packing in cases specially constructed for them, and would need
attention on the voyage. Still all this might be managed, and a steward
might be paid well to take them under his charge.
"Well, I will think it over, Wilfrid. Your idea certainly seems a good
one, and if it pays the great horticulturalists to send out skilled men
to collect plants for them from all parts of the world, it should
certainly pay me, who am living in the centre of one of the most varied
groups of vegetation in the world, to send home consignments."
Ten minutes later they rode into the clearing. A loud whoop of welcome
was heard as they appeared, and Jack came tearing down from the house to
meet them. A moment later Marion appeared at the door, and she too came
flying towards them. Mr. and Mrs. Renshaw also appeared on the verandah.
"I need not ask you how you are, my boy," Mr. Renshaw said as Wilfrid,
who had leapt from his horse as Marion ran up, hastened forward with her
to the house. "Your mother has told us so much about your illness that I
hardly anticipated seeing you looking a picture of health. Mr. Atherton,
I am delighted to see you. My wife has told me how much we all owe to
you both for your care of Wilfrid and for having brought him and my wife
safely out of the hands of the natives."
"I am very glad that I was able to be of some little service, Mr.
Renshaw. It is quite as pleasant, you know, to be able to aid as it is
to be aided, so we will look upon the obligation as mutual. Wilfrid has
invited me to take up my quarters here for a day or two until my shanty
is put in order again."
"It would be a pleasure to us if you would take up your abode here
permanently," Mr. Renshaw said as Mr. Atherton dismounted from his horse
and the two men rung each other's hands warmly. "Jack, take the two
horses round to the shed. And now come in. Fortunately dinner is just
ready, and I have no doubt you are ready too."
Wilfrid was struck with the change that had come over his father since
he had been away. He looked better and stronger than he had ever seen
him before, and spoke with a firmness and decision quite new to him. Mr.
Renshaw, finding the whole responsibility of the farm upon his
shoulders, had been obliged to put aside his books and to throw himself
into the business with vigour. At first the unusual exertion involved by
being out all day looking after things had tried him a good deal, but he
had gained strength as he went on, and had even come to like the work.
The thought that his wife and Wilfrid would be pleased to find
everything going on well had strengthened him in his determination to
stick to it, and Marion had, as far as the house work allowed her, been
his companion when about the farm, and had done her best to make the
evenings cheerful and pleasant. They had had a terribly anxious time of
it during the week between the arrival of the news of the massacre at
Poverty Bay and Mrs. Renshaw's return; but after that their life had
gone on quietly, although, until the news of the capture of Te
Kooti's fortress had arrived, they had naturally been anxious about
Wilfrid's safety.
[Illustration: "I AM AFRAID I AM HEAVY ON A HORSE STILL, WILFRID"
_Page 325_]
"You are looking wonderfully well and sunburnt, father," the lad said as
they sat at dinner.
"Your father has been out from morning until night, Wilfrid, managing
the farm," Mrs. Renshaw said with a glad smile, "and I do think the
exercise has done him a great deal of good."
"I am sure it has, mother," Wilfrid agreed. "I am afraid the book has
not made much progress, father, since I have been away."
"It has made no progress at all, Wilfrid, and I do not suppose it ever
will. Science is all very well when a man can afford to make it his
hobby, but I have come to the conclusion that a man has no right to ride
a hobby while his family have to work to make a living."
"But we were all glad to work, father," Wilfrid said. "And now I am back
again there is no reason why you should not return to your work."
"No, Wilfrid. I have been selfish a great deal too long, and indeed, now
that I have broken myself into an active life out of doors, I have at
present, at anyrate, no inclination to take to the pen again. I feel
better than I have done for years, and am astonished myself at the work
I can get through. As to my appetite, I eat twice as much as I used to,
and really enjoy my food. Since the day we heard of the failure of the
bank the burden has all been on your shoulders, Wilfrid, and your
mother's. I am going to take my share of it in the future. As to the
book, someone else must write it. I do not suppose it would ever have
really paid. I almost wonder now how I could have thought that I out
here could have derived any satisfaction from knowing that my work was
praised by scientific men at home; besides, to do it properly a man must
live among the natives, must travel all over the island and gather the
traditions current in every tribe. That I could not do, and if I could
have no inclination for it. I have been thinking that I shall ask Mr.
Atherton to teach me a little botany, so that I can enjoy a little more
intelligently than I can now do the wonders of our forest."
"That I will gladly do, Mr. Renshaw. I am sure it would add greatly to
the enjoyment of your life here to become acquainted with the secrets of
the marvellous vegetation around. It is extraordinary to me that men
should be content to remain in ignorance of the names of even the
principal trees and shrubs that meet their eye at every turn. There is
not one settler in a hundred can tell you the names of a score of trees
in the island. While I have been away I have tried to get the native
names of many of the trees that are mostly to be met with, and only in
one or two cases could I get any information, although some of the
settlers have been living for years among them."
"And now, Mr. Atherton, about what I was saying just now, do not you
think it would be more pleasant for you to erect a fresh hut close to
ours instead of living by yourself away in the woods? It would be a
great pleasure to all of us to have you with us. Your society would
brighten our life here. We should have the assistance of your rifle in
case the natives broke out again. You would, of course, live with us,
but you would have your own hut to retire to when you liked to be alone.
What do you say?"
"I say that it is a very kind offer, Mr. Renshaw, and it would certainly
be very much more pleasant for me than living out there by myself at
the mercy of a native cook. On the condition that you will allow me to
pay my share of the expenses of housekeeping I will gladly accept your
offer."
"The expenses of housekeeping are next to nothing, Mr. Atherton," Mrs.
Renshaw laughed; "but if you make it a condition we must of course agree
to your terms, and you shall be permitted to pay your quota to the
expenses of the establishment; but I warn you that the amount will not
be a heavy one."
"Heavy or light, I shall be glad to pay it, Mrs. Renshaw. The
arrangement would be a delightful one for me, for although as a
traveller I have necessarily been much alone, I am a gregarious animal,
and fond of the company of mankind."
And so two days later a party of natives were set to work, and a hut was
erected for Mr. Atherton twenty yards away from the house, and was soon
fitted up as his other had been. Wilfrid had at once taken up his own
work at the farm, but was now his father's right hand, instead of
having, as before, everything on his shoulders.
The natives in the neighbourhood had now settled down again. From time
to time news came that showed that the Hau-Hau rebellion was almost
crushed. Colonel Whitmore, having finally completely subdued the Hau-Hau
tribes in the north of Wellington and Taranaki, had marched with a
strong force divided into four columns and severely punished all the
tribes that had joined Te Kooti in the north-eastern part of the island.
Te Kooti himself, after perpetrating several other massacres of
settlers, was a fugitive, hotly hunted by Rapata, who gave him no rest,
surprising him several times, and exterminating the last remnants of
the band who had escaped with him from the Chatham Islands. Te Kooti
himself was now believed to be hiding somewhere in the Waikato country;
but he was no longer dangerous, his schemes had utterly failed, his
pretensions had even in the native eyes been altogether discredited, and
all who had adhered to him had either been killed or punished by the
destruction of their villages and clearings. There was not the slightest
chance that he would ever again trouble the community.
The settlement on the Mohaka river had grown, and in six months after
Wilfrid's return the whole of the land lying between the Allens' farm
and Mr. Mitford's was taken up, and two or three families had settled
beyond Mr. Atherton's holding. At The Glade everything went on
prosperously--the animals multiplied, the crops were excellent, and,
owing to the many settlers arriving and requiring food until they could
raise it for themselves, much better prices were obtained for the
produce, and it was no longer necessary to ship it to Napier or
Wellington.
Although Mr. Atherton had not gone through any such fatigues as those
that he had endured at Poverty Bay, he had continued steadily to
decrease in weight. Feeling himself so much lighter and more active on
the return from the expedition, he had continued to stick to long and
regular exercise, and was out every day, with a native to carry his tin
collecting-boxes, his presses, axe, and trowel, from breakfast-time
until dark. As he steadily refused to take any food with him, and fasted
from breakfast-time till supper, the prolonged exercise in the close
heat of the woods did its work rapidly, and at the end of a year from
the date of his taking up his abode at The Glade he could no longer be
called a stout man, and new-comers looked with admiration at his broad
shoulders and powerful figure.
"When I first came to New Zealand," he said, "I thought it probable that
I should only stay here a few weeks, or at most a few months, and I had
a strong doubt whether it would repay my trouble in coming out here. Now
I am sure that it was the very best step I ever took. I weighed the
other day at Mitford's, and I did not turn eighteen stone, which is
nothing out of the way for a man of my height and size. Last time I
weighed I pulled down six-and-twenty. When I go back to England I shall
stick to my two meals a day, and go in regularly for racquets and horse
exercise."
"And when is that going to be, Mr. Atherton?" Wilfrid asked.
"I have not settled yet, Wilfrid. I have been longer stationary here
than I have been in any place since I left college. Occasionally I get a
fit of longing to be back in London again, but it seldom lasts long.
However, I suppose I shall yield to it one of these days."
"You are doing very well here, Mr. Atherton. You said only the other day
that your consignment of plants had sold wonderfully, and that you
expected to make nearly a thousand pounds this year."
"That is true enough, Wilfrid; but you see, unfortunately or
fortunately, whichever way you like to put it, the thousand pounds are
of no importance to me one way or the other. I am really what is
generally considered to be a rich man, and from the day I left England,
now just two years ago, my income has been simply accumulating, for
beyond the two or three pounds a month your mother lets me pay her I
spend absolutely nothing."
"It must be very dull for you here, Mr. Atherton, accustomed as you have
been to be always either travelling or in London, to be cut off from the
world with only just our society, and that of the Allens and Mitfords,
and two or three neighbours."
"I do not look dull, do I, Mrs. Renshaw?" Mr. Atherton laughed.
"No; I have never seen you dull since I knew you, Mr. Atherton, not even
when you were toiling along exhausted and worn out with that child on
your shoulders and the weight of the helpless man on your arms. We shall
miss you awfully when you do go; shall we not, Marion?" Marion was now
nineteen, and had developed, as Wilfrid told her in some surprise--for
brothers seldom think their sisters good-looking--into a very pretty
girl.
"It is not coming just yet," Mr. Atherton said; "but I have, I think,
pretty well exhausted the forest for a distance of fifty miles round,
and now that things are settling down I shall take more extensive trips
to the mountains in the north-east and the Waikato country, and the
strip of land lying north of Auckland. I have never been absent above
two or three days at a time; but in future I may be away for weeks. But
this will always be my head-quarters, Mrs. Renshaw. You see, your
husband is becoming a formidable rival of mine here, so I must be off to
pastures new."
"You know he did not want to send things home, Mr. Atherton. It was only
because you insisted that he did so."
"I am very glad that I did insist, Mrs. Renshaw. As you know, I only
went into the trade of plants to give me something to do on my rambles
besides looking for new species; but I am sure it has been a capital
thing for him. He has always been accustomed to use his brain, and
although he now takes a lively interest in farm work, he would in time
have found a certain void if he had not taken up this new hobby. As it
is, it gives him plenty of out-door work, and is not only interesting,
but pays well; and now that he is thoroughly acquainted with the botany
of this part of the island, and knows which things are worth sending
home, and the price he can depend upon getting for them, he will make a
far larger income out of it than he could do from farming. Wilfrid will
be quite capable of looking after the interests of the farm."
Another year passed. The clearings at The Glade had been greatly
enlarged; but clumps of bush had been judiciously left so as to preserve
its sylvan appearance, the long operation of fencing in the whole
property had been accomplished, and the number of horses, cattle, and
sheep had so increased that the greater part were now sent to graze on
Maori land, a small rate per head being paid to the natives. Mr.
Atherton had come and gone many times, and had now almost completed his
study of the botany of the island. Mr. Renshaw had altogether abandoned
the management of the farm to Wilfrid, and devoted himself entirely to
the collection of ferns, orchids, and other plants, receiving handsome
cheques in return for the consignment sent to England by each vessel
that sailed from Wellington or Napier. He had agents at each of these
towns, who made arrangements with the stewards of the ships for taking
care of the plants on their way home, their remuneration being dependent
upon the state in which the consignment arrived in England.
Settlers were now established on both sides of the river for miles above
The Glade, and as among these were several who had been officers in the
army, or professional men who had come out for the benefit of their
families, there was now much cheerful society, and The Glade occupied
the same leading position in that part of the settlement that Mr.
Mitford's had done on the lower river when they first arrived.
James Allen had now been a year married to the eldest of the Miss
Mitfords. His brother had been decidedly refused by Marion when he
proposed to her, much to the surprise of her father and mother, who had
seen from the frequent visits of their neighbour during the past year
how things were going with him, while Wilfrid had been quite indignant
at her rejection of his friend.
"Girls are extraordinary creatures," he said to his sister. "I had quite
made up my mind for the last six months that you and Bob were going to
make a match of it, and thought what a jolly thing it would be to have
you settled next to us. I am sure I do not know what you want more. You
have known him for three years. He is as steady as possible, and safe to
get on well, and as nice a fellow as I know."
"He is all that, Wilfrid, but you see I don't want to marry him. I like
him very much in the same way you like him, but I don't like him well
enough for that."
"Oh, I suppose you want a wandering prince in disguise," Wilfrid
grumbled. "That is the way with girls; they always want something that
they cannot get."
"My dear Wilfrid," Marion said with spirit, "when I take to lecturing
you as to whom you are to marry it will be quite time for you to take to
lecturing me; but until I do I cannot allow that you have any right in
the matter."
It was seldom indeed that brother and sister differed in opinion about
anything, and seeing a tear in Marion's eye Wilfrid at once gave in and
admitted himself to be wrong.
"Of course it is no business of mine, Marion, and I beg your pardon. I
am sure I should not wish for a moment that you should marry anyone but
the man that you choose for yourself. I should certainly have liked you
to have married Bob Allen, but, if you do not fancy him, of course there
is an end of it."
This was not the only offer that Marion had received during the year,
for there were several young settlers who would have been glad to have
installed her as the mistress of their homesteads; but they had each met
with the same fate that had now befallen Bob Allen.
The next time Mr. Atherton came back he said, "I have taken my last
ramble and gathered my last plant."
"What! are you going home?" Mrs. Renshaw exclaimed.
"Yes, I am going home," he said more seriously than he usually spoke. "I
have been away three years now, and have pretty thoroughly ransacked the
island. I have discovered nearly eighty new species of plants and two or
three entirely new families, so I have done enough for honour; besides,
I am wanted at home. An old aunt has died and has left me a considerable
sum of money, just because I had plenty of my own before, I suppose. It
is another instance of female perversity. So I have had a letter from my
solicitor saying that I am really wanted; but in any case I should have
gone now or in another month or two. I begin to feel that I have had
enough of wandering, and at thirty-eight it is time to settle down if
you are ever going to do so."
There was a silence round the table as he ceased speaking, for all felt
that the loss would be a serious one, and although Mr. Atherton had
tried to speak lightly they could see that he too felt the approaching
end of their close friendship.
"Are you going to start at once?" Mr. Renshaw asked.
"No, I shall give myself a fortnight or three weeks before I sail. I
have all the plants I gathered this time to dry and prepare properly;
besides, I should like a quiet stay with you before I say good-bye. You
see, I have not seen much of you during the last year."
Nothing further was said on the subject, which none of them liked to
touch on. For the next two days the house seemed strangely quiet.
"By the way, what has become of young Allen?" Mr. Atherton said at
dinner on the third day. "You told me every one was well, so I suppose
he is away from home, as I have not seen him since I came, and he used
to be a very regular visitor." There was a momentary silence and then
Mrs. Renshaw said:
"I do not think he is away from home, though he may be, for he was
talking the other day of looking out for a fresh piece of land for
himself. Now that his brother is married I suppose it is only natural
that he should think of setting up for himself. The farm is of course
their joint property, but I suppose they will make some arrangement for
his brother to take over his share."
"Naturally," Mr. Atherton agreed, "young Allen would not care about
remaining now that his brother is married. When one of two partners
marries it generally breaks up the partnership, and besides, he will of
course be wanting to have a place of his own, and the holding is not
large enough to divide."
After dinner Wilfrid strolled out with Mr. Atherton.
"I daresay you saw, Mr. Atherton, that your question about Bob Allen
fell rather as a bomb-shell among us. There is no reason why you, who
are a great friend, should not know the truth. The fact is, to my
astonishment, Marion has thought proper to refuse Bob Allen. I was never
more surprised in my life. I had always looked upon it as certain that
she would accept him, especially as she has refused three or four good
offers this year. One never can understand girls."
Mr. Atherton was silent for a minute or two. Then he said:
"I thought too, Wilfrid, that it would have come off. I have always
thought so. Well, well." Then after a pause he went on: "I had intended
to go over in the morning to see him. I like the lad, and had an idea of
offering to advance him a sum of money to set up in a place of his own
without loss of time. Then the young couple would have had a fair start
in life without having to wait two or three years or to go through the
rough work at the first start in a settler's life. The money would of
course have been nothing to me, and it would have been satisfactory to
have lent a helping hand towards seeing your sister married and happy.
And so she has refused him. Well, I will take a turn by myself,
Wilfrid."
And to the young fellow's surprise Mr. Atherton turned off and started
at a brisk pace up the glade.
"He is evidently as vexed at Marion's throwing over Bob Allen as I am,"
Wilfrid said to himself as he looked after him. "I wish he would give
her a good talking to, she would think more of his opinion than she does
of mine."