Rose shuddered. "I'm not coming.""But don't you see that you've forced them to give up all the sweet things of life for it?Robert his love, and Albert his poetry, and Richard his education."
ONE:"You're a queer lad, Reubenand more masterful than your poor f?ather wur."
ONE:The edge of Boarzell was outlined black against the faintly paler skyhe traced it from the woods in which it rose, up to its crest of firs, then down into the woods again. Once more it lay between him and the soft desires of his weakness; as long ago at Cheat Land, it called him back to his allegiance like a love forsaken. In the black quiet it lay hullish like some beastbut it was more than a beast to-night. It was like the gorse on its heights, delicate perfume as well as murderous fibre, sweetness as well as ferocity. The scent, impregnating the motionless air, seemed to remind him that Boarzell was his love as well as his enemymore, far more to him than Alice."Reckon I can," said Albert good-naturedly, knowing that some day he might want his brother to do the same for him.
"Then policeman's bin t?ald about it?" came faintly from Robert.Wonder was succeeded by wrathhow dare he be calm in the face of such terrible things? She tried to pull her hand out of his arm, but he held his elbow close to his side, and the little hand lay there like an imprisoned mouse.It became now all the more necessary to smash Realf. He could no longer be content with keeping just ahead of him; he must establish a sort of two-power standard, and crush his rival to the earth. That was not a good summer for expansiona drought baked up the greater part of Sussex, and there was an insect plague in the hopsnevertheless, Reuben bought thirty-five acres of Boarzell, on the east slope, by the road. He was tormented by a fear that Realf would buy the land if he[Pg 235] did not, and, moreover, during May two boards had appeared advertising it as "an eligible building site"; which was possibly bluff, possibly unusual cunning on the part of Flightshot, made resourceful by its straits.
