Eustace Derwent was present;
he behaved with exemplary good-breeding, remarking suavely that they
had met before, and betraying in no corner of his pleasant smile
that that meeting had been other than delightful to both. Three
guests arrived, besides Otway, one of them the distinguished person
whose name had impressed him; a grizzled gentleman, of bland brows,
and the simplest, softest manner.
At table there was general conversation--the mode of civilised
beings. His mind in a whirl at first, Otway presently found himself
quite capable of taking part in the talk. Someone had told a story
illustrative of superstition in English peasant folk, and Piers had
only to draw upon his Russian experiences for pursuit of the
subject. He told how, in a time of great drought, he had known a
corpse dug up from its grave by peasantry, and thrown into a muddy
pond--a vigorous measure for the calling down of rain; also, how
he had seen a priest submit to be dragged on his back across a
turnip field, that thereby a great crop might be secured. These
things interested the great man, who sat opposite; he beamed upon
Otway, and sought from him further information regarding Russia.
Piers saw that Irene had turned to him; he held himself in command,
he spoke neither too much nor too little, and as the things he knew
were worth knowing, his share in the talk made a very favourable
impression.
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