"
He shook his head.
"Ah, but--you see what makes the difference!"
"That Coryston is my son?--and has always been regarded as my heir?
Certainly that makes a difference," she admitted, unwillingly. "But his
proceedings will soon disgust people--will soon recoil on himself!"
Page looked up to see her pale profile, with its marked hollows in cheek
and temple, outlined on the white paneling of the room like some strong,
hawkish face of the Renaissance. But, in awe of her as he always was,
she seemed to him a foolish woman. Why had she driven matters to this
extremity?
He poured out his budget of troubles. All the smoldering discontent which
had always existed on the estate had been set alight by Lord Coryston. He
was trying to form a union among the laborers, and the farmers were up
in arms. He was rousing the dissenters against the Church school of the
estate. He was even threatening an inquiry into the state of some of his
mother's cottages.
Lady Coryston interrupted. Her voice showed annoyance. "I thought, Mr.
Page, there were no insanitary cottages on this property!"
Page hemmed and hawed. He had not the courage to say that if a landowner
insists on spending the reserve fund of an estate on politics, the estate
suffers.
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