I came out naturally thinking I'd set up near my brother; but, well, I found he'd grown a very fine gentleman--all honour to him for it! He's a good fellow." There was no sneer just now.
Bates sat subjecting all he knew of Alec to a process of consideration.
The result was not a guess; it was not in him to hazard anything, even a guess.
"What does your brother do ?" "Clergyman, and he has a school." "Where ?" "Chellaston, on the Grand Trunk." "Never heard of it.

Is it a growing place ?" "It's thriving along now.

It was just right for my business." "Did the clergyman think your business was wrong ?" The young man laughed as a man laughs who knows the answer to an amusing riddle and sees his neighbour's mental floundering.

"He admits that it's an honest and respectable line of life." "Did ye give in, then ?" "I took a year to think over it.

I'm doing that now." "Thinking ?" "Yes." "I've not observed ye spending much time in meditation." The young man looked off across the basin of the frozen lake.