Anthony Trollope: The Belton Estate

4. CHAPTER IV: SAFE AGAINST LOVE-MAKING (continued)

'What a flatterer you are,' she said to him that night.

'A flatterer! I?'

'Yes, you. You have flattered papa out of all his animosity already. I shall be jealous soon; for he'll think more of you than of me.'

'I hope he'll come to think of us as being nearly equally near to him,' said Belton, with a tone that was half serious and half tender. Now that he had made up his mind, he could not keep his hand from the work before him an instant. But Clara had also made up her mind, and would not be made to think that her cousin could mean anything that was more than cousinly.

'Upon my word,' she said, laughing, 'that is very cool on your part.'

'I came here determined to be friends with him at any rate.'

'And you did so without any thought of me. But you said you would be my brother, and I shall not forget your promise. Indeed, indeed, I cannot tell you how glad I am that you have come both for papa's sake and my own. You have done him so much good that I only dread to think that you are going so soon.'

'I'll be back before long. I think nothing of running across here from Norfolk. You'll see enough of me before next summer.'

Soon after breakfast on the next morning he got Mr Amedroz out into the grounds, on the plea of showing him the proposed site for the cattle shed; but not a word was said about the shed on that occasion. He went to work at his other task at once, and when that was well on hand the squire was quite unfitted for the consideration of any less important matter, however able to discuss it Belton might have been himself.

'I've got something particular that I want to say to you, sir,' Belton began.