g anything,
but you see, Phyl, it's just this way, your father has made him your
guardian."

"My _what!_" cried the girl.

"_Oh_, Lord!" said Pinckney, in despair at the blundering way of the
other. Then finding himself again and the saving vein of humour, without
which man is just a leaden figure:

"Yes, that's it. I'm your guardian. You must on no account go out without
my permission, or cough or sneeze without a written permit--Oh, Phyl,
don't be thinking nonsense of that sort. I _am_ your guardian, it seems,
and by your father's special request, but you are absolutely free to do as
you like."

"A nice sort of guardian," put in Hennessey with a grin.

"I am only, really, guardian of your money and your interests," went on
the other, "and your welfare. When you came in last night late, I was a
bit taken aback and I thought--as a matter of fact, I thought it might be
dangerous being out alone in this wild part of the country so late at
night, but I did not want to interfere; you can understand, can't you?
What I want you to get out of your mind is, that I am that odious thing, a
meddling person. I'm not."

Phyl was very white. She had risen from the table and was at the window.

Here was her dream come true of the bearded American who had suddenly
appeared to claim her and Kilgobbin and the servants and everything.

Pinckney had not a beard, but he was an American and he had come to claim
everything. The word guardian carried such a force and weight and was so
filled with fantastic possibilities to the mind of Phyl, that she scarcely
heard his soft words and excuses.

Phyl had the Irish trick of running away with ideas and embroidering the
most palpable truths with fancies. It was an inheritance from her father,
and she stood by the window now unable to speak, with the word "Guardian"
ringing in her ears and the idea pressing on her mind like an incubus.

Hennessey had risen up. He was the first to break silence.

"There's no use in meeting troubles half way," said he vaguely. "You and
Phyl will get along all right when you know each other better. Come out,
the two of you, and we'll go round the grounds and you will be able to see
for yourself the state of the house and what repairs are wanting."

"One moment," said Pinckney. "I want to tell Phyl something--I'm going to
call you Phyl because I'm your guardian--d'you mind?"

"No," said Phyl, "you can call me anything you like, I suppose."

"I'm not going