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 Randall 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 Randall'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, Randall 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.