But the Squire was rather impatient at Godfrey's showing
himself a dull spark in this way. By this advanced hour of the day,
the Squire was always in higher spirits than we have seen him in at
the breakfast-table, and felt it quite pleasant to fulfil the
hereditary duty of being noisily jovial and patronizing: the large
silver snuff-box was in active service, and was offered without fail
to all neighbours from time to time, however often they might have
declined the favour. At present, the Squire had only given an
express welcome to the heads of families as they appeared; but
always as the evening deepened, his hospitality rayed out more widely,
till he had tapped the youngest guests on the back and shown a
peculiar fondness for their presence, in the full belief that they
must feel their lives made happy by their belonging to a parish
where there was such a hearty man as Squire Cass to invite them and
wish them well. Even in this early stage of the jovial mood, it was
natural that he should wish to supply his son's deficiencies by
looking and speaking for him.
'Aye, aye,' he began, offering his snuff-box to Mr Lammeter, who
for the second time bowed his head and waved his hand in stiff
rejection of the offer, 'us old fellows may wish ourselves young
tonight, when we see the mistletoe-bough in the White Parlour. It's
true, most things are gone back'ard in these last thirty years- the
country's going down since the old king fell ill.
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