"Rather than with any of a dozen farmers or country house people along here ?" And, this time, any fool could have read the stark suspicion in his tone and in the hard blue eyes.
"For several reasons," said Brice, coolly.

"In the first place, I had brought home your dog.

In the second, I had taken a fancy to him, as he had to me, and it would be pleasant working at a place where I could be with such a chum.
In the third place, Miss Standish was kind enough to say pretty much the same things about me that you've just said.
She knew I wasn't a tramp, who might be expected to decamp with the lawn-mower or the spoons.

Another landowner might not have been so complimentary, when I applied for work and had no references.

In the fourth, you seem to have a larger and more pretentious place here than most of your near neighbors.