Chapter 20

‘Letter, sir,’ he said breathlessly, disclosing a Norfolk accent, over which a certain veneer of ‘refeenment’ had been spread. ‘The second post ’as just come. And popping my ’ead out of the door, sir, I said to my daughter, I said, “there’s the new squire”.’ He laid an unpleasant unction on the last word, and his attempt to curry favour was sickeningly transparent. He gasped again for breath, and hurried on. ‘And my daughter, sir, she said, “Take it over to him, dad”. And so I did.’ He handed the square white envel…