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John practiced for some time as a barrister, but had finally settled down to the enial life of a country squire He had o, and had taken his wife to live at Styles, though I entertained a shrewd suspicion that he would have preferred his mother to increase his allowance, which would have enabled him to have a home of his own Mrs Cavendish, however, was a lady who liked to make her own plans, and expected other people to fall in with them, and in this case she certainly had the whip hand, nas
John noticed e and smiled rather ruefully
"Rotten little bounder too!" he said savagely "I can tell you, Hastings, it'slife jolly difficult for us As for Evie--you remember Evie?"
"No"
"Oh, I suppose she was after your time She's the reat sport--old Evie! Not precisely young and beautiful, but as ga to say----?"
"Oh, this fellow! He turned up fro a second cousin or soh she didn't seee the relationship The fellow is an absolute outsider, anyone can see that He's got a great black beard, and wears patent leather boots in all weathers! But the mater cottoned to him at once, took hi a hundred societies?"
I nodded
"Well, of course the war has turned the hundreds into thousands No doubt the felloas very useful to her But you could have knocked us all doith a feather when, three o, she suddenly announced that she and Alfred were engaged! The fellow er than she is! It's si; but there you are--she is her own mistress, and she's married him"
"It must be a difficult situation for you all"
"Difficult! It's damnable!"
Thus it came about that, three days later, I descended from the train at Styles St Mary, an absurd little station, with no apparent reason for existence, perched up in the reen fields and country lanes John Cavendish aiting on the platform, and piloted me out to the car
"Got a drop or two of petrol still, you see," he ree of Styles St Mary was situated about two miles from the little station, and Styles Court lay a mile the other side of it It was a still, warm day in early July As one looked out over the flat Essex country, lying so green and peaceful under the afternoon sun, it seemed alreat as running its appointed course I felt I had suddenly strayed into another world As we turned in at the lodge gates, John said: "I's"