It was not, after all, a thing to make a fuss about; and what could Irwine do for him that he could not do for himself?
He would go to Eagledale in spite of Meg's lameness--go on Rattler, and let Pym follow as well as he could on the old hack.

That was his thought as he sugared his coffee; but the next minute, as he was lifting the cup to his lips, he remembered how thoroughly he had made up his mind last night to tell Irwine.

No! He would not be vacillating again--he WOULD do what he had meant to do, this time.

So it would be well not to let the personal tone of the conversation altogether drop.

If they went to quite indifferent topics, his difficulty would be heightened.