The Home Coming Author:Constance Holme Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: supple boy, by turns passionate and immeasurably reserved, infinitely removed from all at Thorns but the grandfather whose memory still colored the country tales... more ». In every sense he was apart, and his very occasional letters had scarcely served to reconnect the early bond. His last, offering himself for a visit, had surprised Rowly into being late for a Board meeting — a most deplorable event. And even when it had him in the flesh, the Board had been denied its rightful due of his entire mind. It had come home to the master of Thorns that this stranger was now his heir, and, as such, must be shown the ropes in good time. His brothers' deaths had given him a shock, setting him for once watching life as it swept by, instead of hurrying with the throng. Some day, perhaps soon, he would pause for good, and life would fling on, without so much as looking back. Yes, it was time that Luis learned the fit of the family shoes. He told himself that he was glad of this opportune visit, but at that Board meeting he had felt elderly and a little cold. Having settled the luggage to his satisfaction, he came back to the dog-cart. As he took the reins, he hoped, in his little, worrying way, that Luis was still sufficiently English to put the brute creation first. They were not like that, in Spain; so he had always heard. It was impossible, one would think, to dislike either horses or dogs, but there were actually people who did. He himself was quite absurd about both, and was thoroughly put upon by both. Hewas comforted when Luis, with a set, courteous attempt, began to talk of a horse he had left behind in Madrid; still more comforted when Luis's hand went out to the cocker at his feet, whose wide smile and benevolent turn of the head seemed to suggest that he was conducting, not only this par...« less