The letter, in which he had suffered his exultation to appear, had angered the squire, had set Mrs.Walsham and her friend the ex-sergeant against him, and had deeply offended Aggie.

It had, too, enabled the squire to take instant measures for procuring James's discharge, and had now placed the latter in a position equal to his own.
James, on his part, did not like Richard Horton, but he felt no active animosity against him.

He had got the best of it in that first quarrel of theirs, and, although he had certainly felt very sore and angry, at the time Richard was staying at the Hall, and seemed to have taken his place altogether as Aggie's friend, this feeling had long since died away, for he knew, from the letters of Mr.Wilks, that Aggie had no liking whatever for Richard Horton.
"You were at Sidmouth in the spring, I heard," he said.

"You found my mother looking well, I hope ?" "Yes, I was there a fortnight before we sailed," Richard said.

"I think she was looking about as usual." For a few minutes, they talked in a stiff and somewhat constrained tone, for Richard could not bring himself to speak cordially to this man, whom he regarded as a dangerous rival.