" And thereafter he usually threw back his
shoulders.
The good blood that ran in his veins was astir to-night. The
incidents of the day had aroused him from the peacefulness that lies
under a weight of years (we have to lift the years one by one and
lay them aside before we find it), and Sir John Meredith would have
sat very upright in his chair were it not for that carping pain in
his back.
He waited for an hour with his eyes almost continually on the clock,
but Jack never came. Then he rang the bell.
"Coffee," he said. "I like punctuality, if you please."
"Thought Mr. Meredith might be expected, sir," murmured the butler
humbly.
Sir John was reading the evening paper, or appearing to read it,
although he had not his glasses.
"Oblige me by refraining from thought," he said urbanely.
So the coffee was brought, and Sir John consumed it in silent
majesty. While he was pouring out his second cup--of a diminutive
size--the bell rang. He set down the silver coffee-pot with a
clatter, as if his nerves were not quite so good as they used to be.
It was not Jack, but a note from him.
"MY DEAR FATHER,--Circumstances have necessitated the breaking off
of my engagement at the last moment. To-morrow's ceremony will not
take place. As the above-named circumstances were partly under your
control, I need hardly offer an explanation.
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