"Mr. Sowerby is not just at home at the present moment," said the
well-trained domestic.
"I'll wait about then," said Tom, seating himself on an heraldic
stone griffin which flanked the big stone steps before the house.
And in this way Mr. Tozer gained his purpose. Sowerby was still
contesting the county, and it behoved him not to let his enemies say
that he was hiding himself. It had been a part of his bargain with
Miss Dunstable that he should contest the county. She had taken it
into her head that the duke had behaved badly, and she had resolved
that he should be made to pay for it. "The duke," she said, "had
meddled long enough;" she would now see whether the Chaldicotes
interest would not suffice of itself to return a member for the
county, even in opposition to the duke. Mr. Sowerby himself was so
harassed at the time, that he would have given way on this point if
he had had the power; but Miss Dunstable was determined, and he was
obliged to yield to her. In this manner Mr. Tom Tozer succeeded and
did make his way into Mr. Sowerby's presence--of which intrusion one
effect was the following letter from Mr. Sowerby to his friend Mark
Robarts:--
Chaldicotes, July, 185--.
MY DEAR ROBARTS,
I am so harassed at the present moment by an infinity
of troubles of my own that I am almost callous to those
of other people.
Pages:
724
725
726
727
728
729
730
731
732
733
734
735
736
737
738
739
740
741
742
743
744
745
746
747
748