about by his presence. She was younger and brighter when he was there, thinking more of the future and less of the past. She could look at him, and that alone was happiness to her. And then he was pleasant-mannered with her; joking with her on her little old-world prejudices in a tone that was musical to her ear as coming from him; smiling on her, reminding her of those smiles which she had loved so dearly when as yet he was all her own, lying there in his little bed beside her chair. He was kind and gracious to her, behaving like a good son, at any rate while he was there in her presence. When we add to this her fears that he might not be so perfect in his conduct when absent, we may well imagine that Lady Lufton was pleased to have him there at Framley Court.
She had hardly said a word to him as to that five thousand pounds. Many a night, as she lay thinking on her pillow, she said to herself that no money had ever been better expended, since it had brought him back to his own house. He had thanked her for it in his own open way, declaring that he would pay it back to her during the coming year, and comforting her heart by his rejoicing that the property had not been sold.
"I don't like the idea of parting with an acre of it," he had said.
"Of course not, Ludovic. Never let the estate decrease in your hands. It is only by such resolutions as that that English noblemen and English gentlemen can preserve their country. I can not bear to see property changing hands."
"Well, I suppose it's a good thing to have land in the market sometimes, so that the millionaires may know what to do with their money."
"God forbid that yours should be there!" And the widow made a little mental prayer that her son's acres might be protected from the millionaires and other Philistines.
"Why, yes, I don't exactly want to see a Jew tailor investing his earnings at Lufton," said the lord.
"Heaven forbid!" said the widow.
All this, as I have said, was very nice. It was manifest to her ladyship, from his lordship's way of talking, that no vital injury had as yet been done. He had no cares on his mind, and spoke freely about the property; but, nevertheless, there were clouds even now, at this period of bliss, which somewhat obscured the brilliancy of Lady Lufton's
