The crisp forensic tones were dropped for an explanatory aside. 'He evidently _means_--father' (Granville nearly said 'my lord,' through force of habit), 'that his father-in-law is the squatter; not his wife, which is what he _says_. He writes in such a slipshod style. I should also think he means that the territory in question is equal in size to certain English counties, individually (though this I venture to doubt), and not--what you would infer--to several counties put together. His literary manner was always detestable, poor old chap; and, of course, Australia was hardly likely to improve it.'
The interpolation was not exactly ill-natured; but it was received in silence; and Granville's tones, as he resumed the reading, were even more studiously unsympathetic than before.
'"Of my Bride I will say very little; for you will see her in a week at most. As for myself, I can only tell you, dear Mother, that I am the very luckiest and happiest man on earth!"' ('A brave statement,' Granville murmured in parenthesis; 'but they all make it.') '"She is typically Australian, having indeed been born and bred in the Bush, and is the first to admit it, being properly proud of her native land; but, if you knew the Australians as I do, this would not frighten you. Far from it, for the typical Australian is one of the very highest if not _the_ highest development of our species."' (Granville read that sentence with impressive gravity, and with such deference to the next as to suggest no kind of punctuation, since the writer had neglected it.) '"But as you, my dear Mother, are the very last person in the world to be prejudiced by mere mannerisms, I won't deny that she has one or two--_though, mind you, I like them!_ And, at least, you may look forward to seeing the most beautiful woman you ever saw in your life--though I say it.
'"Feeling sure that you will, as usual, be 'summering' at Twickenham, I make equally sure that you will be able and willing to find room for us; at the same time, we will at once commence looking out for a little place of our own in the country, with regard to which we have plans which will keep till we see you. But, while we are with you, I thought I would be able to show my dear girl the principal sights of the Old Country, which, of course, are mostly in or near town, and which she is dying to see.