is no unmeaning courtesy. I comprehend, entirely, your position; for
I once held just your relation to the people around me. And now, if
there are any questions to which an immediate answer is desired, ask
them freely. Will you not return with me to my house?"

"Thank you! Not now. I came over to ask if you knew a man named
Burk, who lives in the neighbourhood."

"Yes; very well," answered Mr. Markland.

"Is he a man to be depended upon?"

"He's clever, and a good man about a place; but, I am sorry to say,
not always to be depended upon."

"What is the trouble with him?" asked Mr. Willet.

"The trouble with most men who occasionally drink to excess."

"Oh! That's it. You've said enough, sir; he won't suit me. I shall
have to be in the city for a time, almost every day, and would not,
by any means, feel safe or comfortable in knowing that such a person
was in charge of things. Besides, my mother, who is getting in
years, has a particular dread of an intoxicated man, and I would on
no account expose her to the danger of being troubled from this
cause. My sisters, who have lived all their lives in cities, will be
timid in the country, and I therefore particularly desire the right
kind of a man on the premises--one who may be looked to as a
protector in my absence. You understand, now, what kind of a person
I want?"