Page:The Princess Casamassima (London and New York, Macmillan & Co., 1886), Volume 2.djvu/168

 that the Princess had originally been, in a manner, Sholto's property, and if he did en fin de compte wish to quarrel with him about Millicent he would have to cease to appear to poach on the Captain's preserves. It now occurred to him, for the first time, that the latter had intended a kind of exchange; though it must be added that the Princess, who on a couple of occasions had alluded slightingly to her military friend, had given him no sign of recognising this gentleman's claim. Sholto let him know, at present, that he was staying at Bonchester, seven miles off; he had come down from London and put up at the inn. That morning he had ridden over on a hired horse (Hyacinth had supposed this steed was a very fine animal, but Sholto spoke of it as an infernal screw); he had been taken by the sudden fancy of seeing how his young friend was coming on.

'I'm coming on very well, thank you,' said Hyacinth, with some shortness, not knowing exactly what business it was of the Captain's.

'Of course you understand my interest in you, don't you? I'm responsible for you—I put you forward.'

'There are a great many things in the world that I don't understand, but I think the thing I understand least is your interest in me. Why the devil' And Hyacinth paused, breathless with the force of his inquiry. Then he went on, 'If I were you, I shouldn't care a filbert for the sort of person that I happen to be.'

'That proves how different my nature is to yours! But I don't believe it, my boy; you are too generous for that.' Sholto's imperturbability always appeared to grow with the irritation it produced, and it was proof even