"But, my lady, it might convince him," I said, with perhaps injudicious
perseverance.

"And why should he be convinced?" she asked, with gentle inquiry in her
tone. "He has only to acquiesce. Though he is appointed by Mr. Croxton,
I am the lady of the manor, as he must know. But it is with Mr. Horner
that I must have to do about this unfortunate lad Gregson. I am afraid
there will be no method of making him forget his unlucky knowledge. His
poor brains will be intoxicated with the sense of his powers, without any
counterbalancing principles to guide him. Poor fellow! I am quite
afraid it will end in his being hanged!"

The next day Mr. Horner came to apologize and explain. He was
evidently--as I could tell from his voice, as he spoke to my lady in the
next room--extremely annoyed at her ladyship's discovery of the education
he had been giving to this boy. My lady spoke with great authority, and
with reasonable grounds of complaint. Mr. Horner was well acquainted
with her thoughts on the subject, and had acted in defiance of her
wishes. He acknowledged as much, and should on no account have done it,
in any other instance, without her leave.

"Which I could never have granted you," said my lady.

But this boy had extraordinary capabilities; would, in fact, have taught
himself much that was bad, if he had not been rescued, and another
direction given to his powers. And in all Mr. Horner had done, he had
had her ladyship's service in view. The business was getting almost
beyond his power, so many letters and so much account-keeping was
required by the complicated state in which things were.