I hope you may find Parchment as pliable as I
am--I wish you well through it. Now, Norah!"
Miss Garth's second shaft struck as harmless as the first. Magdalen had
returned to the house, a little vexed; her interview with Frank having
been interrupted by a messenger from Mr. Clare, sent to summon the son
into the father's presence. Although it had been agreed at the private
interview between Mr. Vanstone and Mr. Clare that the questions
discussed that morning should not be communicated to the children
until the year of probation was at an end---and although under these
circumstances Mr. Clare had nothing to tell Frank which Magdalen could
not communicate to him much more agreeably--the philosopher was not the
less resolved on personally informing his son of the parental concession
which rescued him from Chinese exile. The result was a sudden summons to
the cottage, which startled Magdalen, but which did not appear to take
Frank by surprise. His filial experience penetrated the mystery of Mr.
Clare's motives easily enough. "When my father's in spirits," he said,
sulkily, "he likes to bully me about my good luck. This message means
that he's going to bully me now.
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