The Wrong Man 145 



' Generous man to give his cousin the run of hishouse,' 

 Mr. Higgs thought. 



' I hope you will like the place,' Hugh said. 



' I hope I shall, I'm sure,' Mr. Higgs replied, and it 

 was no doubt a natural aspiration ; still, if one is to 

 converse, one must often say things that really are not 

 worth saying. ' There'll be some pheasants when 

 October comes, and as I think us country gentlemen 

 ought to do — what — we — er — should do, I mean, should 

 do what we — er — that is, ought to do, I shall be happy 

 to send my subscription to the hounds as soon as it's 

 wanted.' 



' Do you hunt, Mr. Higgs ? ' Sir George asked. 



* Well, no, not exactly ! I have not been out now for 

 some seasons,' Mr. Higgs replied. He was fifty-six years 

 of age, and had certainly not been out during that 

 period, so that there was no fault to be found with the 

 absolute veracity of the answer. * I shoot a good deal,' 

 he continued, anxious to vindicate his claim to some of 

 the tastes and habits of ' us country gentlemen,' and 

 this remark was in a way defensible. He did not shoot a 

 good deal of game, it is true, but he fired a large number 

 of cartridges, for one must do something in Scotland, 

 and there is always a chance that you may kill a bird 

 some day, even if your efforts for the last week or two 

 have not been attended with success. ' Any hope of 

 seeing you up north. Sir George ? I've got poor 

 Chaseley's place, you know, Corriecuisk, and should be 

 delighted, I'm sure, if you'd come and stay with me. I 

 think I could show you some sport, too.' 



' You're very good, but it's not much in my line. My 

 cousin here is the man for that kind of thing ! ' Sir 

 George replied. 



