He gazed fixedly at the young man as he departed and then, catching sight
in his turn of the housekeeper's perplexity, laid himself down and buried
his face in the bed-clothes. The nurse crossed over to her assistant
and, taking the tray from her, told her in a sharp whisper that if she
ever admitted Mr. Hardy again she would not be answerable for the
consequences.




CHAPTER XX

Charmed at the ease with which he had demolished the objections of Mr.
Adolphus Swann and won that suffering gentleman over to his plans, Hardy
began to cast longing glances at Equator Lodge. He reminded himself that
the labourer was worthy of his hire, and it seemed moreover an extremely
desirable thing that Captain Nugent should know that he was labouring in
his vineyard with the full expectation of a bounteous harvest. He
resolved to call.

Kate Nugent, who heard the gate swing behind him as he entered the front
garden, looked up and stood spellbound at his audacity. As a fairly
courageous young person she was naturally an admirer of boldness in
others, but this seemed sheer recklessness. Moreover, it was
recklessness in which, if she stayed where she was, she would have to
bear a part or be guilty of rudeness, of which she felt incapable. She
took a third course, and, raising her eyebrows at the unnecessarily loud
knocking with which the young man announced his arrival, retreated in
good order into the garden, where her father, in a somewhat heated