Though Mr. Dockwrath was somewhat elated by this invitation to lunch, he was also somewhat abashed by it. He had been far from expecting that Mr. Mason of Groby Park would do him any such honour, and was made aware by it of the great hold which he must have made upon the attention of his host. But nevertheless he immediately felt that his hands were to a certain degree tied. He, having been invited to sit down at Mr. Mason's table, with Mrs. M. and the family,—having been treated as though he were a gentleman, and thus being for the time put on a footing of equality with the county magistrate, could not repeat that last important question: 'How about my expenses down here?' nor could he immediately go on with the grand subject in any frame of mind which would tend to further his own interests. Having been invited to lunch he could not haggle with due persistency for his share of the business in crushing Lady Mason, nor stipulate that the whole concern should not be trusted to the management of Round and Crook. As a source of pride this invitation to eat was pleasant to him, but he was forced to acknowledge to himself that it interfered with business.
Nor did Mr. Mason feel himself ready to go on with the conversation in the manner in which it had been hitherto conducted. His mind was full of Orley Farm and his wrongs, and he could bring himself to think of nothing else; but he could no longer talk about it to the attorney sitting there in his study. 'Will you take a turn about the place while the lunch is getting ready?' he said. So they took their hats and went out into the garden.
'It is dreadful to think of,' said Mr. Mason, after they had twice walked in silence the length of a broad gravel terrace.
'What; about her ladyship?' said the attorney.
'Quite dreadful!' and Mr. Mason shuddered. 'I don’t think I ever heard of anything so shocking in my life. For twenty years, Mr. Dockwrath, think of that. Twenty years!' and his face as he spoke became almost black with horror.
