Howard became aware that with his colleagues he had suddenly become
rather a person of importance. His "place" in the country was held in
some dim way to increase the grandeur of the College. He found himself
deferred to and congratulated. Mr. Redmayne was both caustic and
affectionate.
"You look very well, I must say," he said. "You have a touch of the
landed personage about you which becomes you. I should like you to come
back here for our sakes, but I shan't press it. And how is Madam? I
hope you have got rid of your first illusions? No? Well you must make
haste and be reasonable. I am not learned in the vagaries of feminine
temperament, but I imagine that the fair sex like to be dominated, and
you will do that. You have a light hand on the reins--I always said
that you rode the boys on the snaffle, but the curb is there! and in
matrimony--well, well, I am an old bachelor of course, and I have a
suspicion of all nooses. Never mind my nonsense, Kennedy--what I like
about you, if I may say so, is that you have authority without
pretensions. People will do as you wish, just to please you; now I have
always to be cracking the whip. These fellows here are very worthy men,
but they are not men of the world! They are honest and sober--indeed
one can hardly get one of them to join one in a glass of port--but they
are limited, very limited. Now if only you could have kept clear of
matrimony--no disrespect to Madam--what a comfortable time we might
have had here! Man appoints and God disappoints--I suppose it is all
for the best."
"Well," said Howard, "I think you will me see back here in October--my
wife is quite ready to come, and there isn't really much for me to do
at Windlow. I believe I am to be on the bench shortly; but if I live
there in the vacations, that will be enough; and I don't feel that I
have finished with Beaufort yet."
"Excellent!" said Mr. Redmayne. "I commend Madam's good sense and
discretion. Pray give her my regards, and say that we shall welcome her
at Cambridge. We will make the best of it--and I confess that in your
place--well, if all women were like Madam, I could view marriage with
comparative equanimity--though of course, I make the statement without
prejudice."