'It was then that he sent for my father,' said Philip.

'But what made him think of doing so?'

'You know Colonel Harewood's house at Stylehurst? Many years ago, when
the St. Mildred's races used to be so much more in fashion, Sir Guy and
Colonel Harewood, and some men of that stamp, took that house amongst
them, and used to spend some time there every year, to attend to
something about the training of the horses. There were some
malpractices of their servants, that did so much harm in the parish,
that my brother was obliged to remonstrate. Sir Guy was very angry at
first, but behaved better at last than any of the others. I suspect he
was struck by my dear brother's bold, uncompromising ways, for he took
to him to a certain degree--and my brother could not help being
interested in him, there seemed to be so much goodness in his nature.
I saw him once, and never did I meet any one who gave me so much the
idea of a finished gentleman. When the poor son was about fourteen, he
was with a tutor in the neighbourhood, and used to be a good deal at
Stylehurst, and, after the unhappy marriage, my brother happened to
meet him in London, heard his story, and tried to bring about a
reconciliation.'

'Ha!' said Philip; 'did not they come to Stylehurst? I have a dim
recollection of somebody very tall, and a lady who sung.'

'Yes; your father asked them to stay there, that he might judge of her,
and wrote to Sir Guy that she was a little, gentle, childish thing,
capable of being moulded to anything, and representing the mischief of
leaving them to such society as that of her brother, who was actually
maintaining them. That letter was never answered, but about ten days