The Buccaneer Farmer, page 39 by Harold Bindloss
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at fires caused and how often the bread was spoiled.
When she entered the library Osborn was studying some documents. He looked up impatiently, and she said, "I was at Mireside. Railton's no better and is much disturbed about his lease."
"Not more disturbed than he deserves!" Osborn rejoined. "The fellow has been getting slack for some time; he sold his store sheep imprudently and let the flock run down."
"He has been ill and the weather has been bad for some years."
"Exactly. A cautious man provides for bad years; he knows they will come."
Grace was surprised her father did not see that his statement had a humorous touch, since improvident extravagance was his rule; but it was obvious that he did not.
"One cannot save much money when rents are high and prices are low."
"Do you know much about these matters?" Osborn asked.
"I have heard the farmers talk. Sometimes I ask them questions."
Osborn frowned. "You talk too much to the farmers. I don't like it. You know this."
"Well," said Grace, "I think you ought not to break Railton's lease."
"Why?"
Grace hesitated. She began to see that Osborn could not be moved, but she had undertaken to plead Railton's cause.
"He's an old man and has been at Mireside all his life. He has worked hard and always paid his rent. Now he's ill and in trouble, it would be shabby to turn him out because there's a risk--it's only a risk--that we might lose something by letting him stay."
"You don't seem to understand a landlord's duty," Osborn rejoined. "He is, so to speak, the steward in charge of the estate; it belongs to the family and is not his. He must hand it on in good order and this means he cannot indulge his sentimental impulses. If he keeps a bad tenant from pity, or because he's afraid to seem harsh, he robs his heir."
Grace knew there were other, and perhaps worse, ways of robbing one's heir; but she said, "Aren't you taking Hayes's view that Railton is a bad tenant? After