Won by a head Author:Alfred Austin 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: CHAPTER III. DIFFERENT VIEWS. All that he intended to say, and all that Mr. Swetenham could possibly say in return, had been so thoroughly considered, duri... more »ng the past week, that our horseman had nothing to do but give the reins to his steed and destroy distance as rapidly as he could. It had been his usual custom, whenever he went to The Slopes, to ride over about this hour -with the intention, always understood, of dining with its inmates in a family way at six o'clock. Such is the pleasant hospitality which yet holds where modern formality has not too much invaded the good old habits of the country. When Sir Everard dismounted, and his horse was led away to the stable, his host did not come, as was his wont, to the front door to greet him. But when he entered the drawing-room, there sat Mr. Swetenham, more altered in so short a space of time than any man Delafosse had ever seen. It was not that his features were changed, or that any singular transformation, such as fabulists delight to indulge in, could be distinctly pointed to. But the expression, and still more the manner, but most of all the voice, were marvellously altered. He evidently tried to receive his visitor cordially, but he failed. Mrs. Swetenham also strove to make him welcome, and was, perhaps, more successful, simply because her salutations were ordinarily very much below the demonstrative heartiness of her husband. Very shortly in came Lily, looking more like a statue ona sort of somnambulistic saunter from off its pedestal, than like warm flesh and blood. She pressed his hand, however, till she almost hurt him. They went in to dinner. It was awfully dreary. Delafosse was the only person that talked. When, during dessert, Mr. Sweten- ham rose and walked out of the ropm, and in again, and about it, an...« less