It was not so much the spur of his own conscience that
drove him to make the occasional short journey by rail to visit
his relatives, as an obedient concession to the more insistent but
vicarious conscience of his brother, Colonel John, who was apt to
accuse him of neglecting poor old William's family. Groby usually
forgot or ignored the existence of his neighbour kinsfolk until
such time as he was threatened with a visit from the Colonel, when
he would put matters straight by a hurried pilgrimage across the
few miles of intervening country to renew his acquaintance with
the young people and assume a kindly if rather forced interest in
the well-being of his sister-in-law. On this occasion he had cut
matters so fine between the timing of his exculpatory visit and
the coming of Colonel John, that he would scarcely be home before
the latter was due to arrive. Anyhow, Groby had got it over, and
six or seven months might decently elapse before he need again
sacrifice his comforts and inclinations on the altar of family
sociability. He was inclined to be distinctly cheerful as he
hopped about the room, picking up first one object, then another,
and subjecting each to a brief bird-like scrutiny.
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