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When the examination of all was ended, and the last man had retired, Nyttleton, again as at the former time, blandly asked his client which of the eight she personally preferred. 'I still think the fifth we spoke to, Springrove, the man whose letter I pounced upon at first, to be by far the best qualified, in short, most suitable generally.
'Let the advertisement be inserted once more, and then we will certainly settle the matter. Mr. Nyttleton bowed, and seemed to think Miss Aldclyffe, for a single woman, and one who till so very recently had never concerned herself with business of any kind, a very meddlesome client. But she was rich, and handsome still. 'She's a new broom in estate-management as yet, he thought.
Nyttleton was a man who surveyed everybody's character in a sunless and shadowless northern light. A culpable slyness, which marked him as a boy, had been moulded by Time, the Improver, into honourable circumspection. We frequently find that the quality which, conjoined with the simplicity of the child, is vice, is virtue when it pervades the knowledge of the man.
Nyttleton nodded slightly, as a sort of neutral motion, simply signifying a receipt of the information, good or bad. 'And I really think it is hardly worth while to trouble you further in this, continued the lady. 'He's quite good enough for a little insignificant place like mine at Knapwater; and I know that I could not get on with one of the others for a single month. We'll try him.
Nyttleton, who had just come up from Margate, where he was staying with his family, was standing at the top of his own staircase as the pair ascended. He politely took them inside. 'Is there a comfortable room in which this young lady can sit during our interview? said Miss Aldclyffe.
Nyttleton, will you make a selection, and I will add one or two, Miss Aldclyffe said. Mr. Nyttleton scanned the whole heap of letters, testimonials, and references, sorting them into two heaps. Manston's missive, after a mere glance, was thrown amongst the summarily rejected ones. Miss Aldclyffe read, or pretended to read after the lawyer.
'The name of my man, said Miss Aldclyffe, looking at her letter in turn; 'is, I think yes AEneas Manston. The next morning but one was appointed for the interviews, which were to be at the lawyer's offices. Mr. Nyttleton and Mr. Tayling were both in town for the day, and the candidates were admitted one by one into a private room.
Nyttleton, who had been to Budmouth, and was coming to Knapwater on his way back to London. On the Saturday subsequent to Mr. Nyttleton's visit to Knapwater House, the subjoined advertisement appeared in the Field and the Builder newspapers:
'She was as near as damn-it to boiling over when I added up her man, continued Nyttleton. 'His handsome face is his qualification in her eyes. They have met before; I saw that. 'He didn't seem conscious of it, said the junior. 'He didn't. That was rather puzzling to me. But still, if ever a woman's face spoke out plainly that she was in love with a man, hers did that she was with him.
'I am sorry to say that I differ from you; I lean to my first notion still that Mr. Mr. Manston is most desirable in tone and bearing, and even specifically; I think he would suit me best in the long-run. Mr. Nyttleton looked out of the window at the whitened wall of the court.