when he had met his match. 'What does this mean, Miss Cunningham?' he
asked grimly, while Tom Fox stood hesitating in the doorway, and the
other servants stood in the background, wondering what would be the end
of the scene.

'It means that _I_ drove the car at that break-neck speed, because I
turned the high-speed gear, and Tom could not help himself, and he was
too much of a man to tell tales of me.'

'You can stop, Tom.--As for you, my lass'--the millionaire
paused--'you're a plucky un, you are! You ought to have Yorkshire blood
in you, if you haven't,' he concluded, and walked into the house without
another word.

'Thank you, miss,' said the chauffeur, as he took off his hat and stood
bareheaded, looking up at Horatia.

'I'm sorry I got you into a row, Tom Fox,' she said, 'and I promise you I
won't interfere with the motor any more without leave.' Then she withdrew
her head.

'Oh, my dear, I don't believe you'd be afraid of anything,' said Mrs
Clay, looking at her with admiration.

Horatia only laughed, and Sarah said nothing either.

CHAPTER X.

PLAIN SPEAKING CLEARS THE AIR.

'Your young lady's got a spirit,' said Sykes to Horatia's nurse, who was
as popular below-stairs as her mistress was above, for it is a fact that
'Like mistress, like maid,' is a very true saying, and Miss Cunningham's
old nurse behaved in the same kindly, tactful manner towards her
fellow-servants that her mistress showed towards her.

But on this occasion Nanny, or Mrs Nancy, as the servants called her,
gave way to her feelings, which had been much ruffled on this visit. 'If
by spirit you mean she don't allow injustice to be done to a poor man,
you're right; but I should like you to know that this isn't what we've
been used to--not by no means. Why, our last visit was to Miss Horatia's
grandpa, his Grace the Duke of Arnedale, and there we didn't have no
scenes; I should say not, indeed! It's not considered good form; that's
what they call it.'

'It's not a bad word, isn't that? You talk of a prize-fighter being in
good form,' observed Sykes.

'Well, our prize-fighter was in good form to-night, and yet Miss
Cunningham knocked him out in the first round,' interposed a young
footman, who went in for being a wit.

'Don't you get into the habit of making free with young ladies' names,
nor making jokes on them, young man,' said Mrs Nancy severely, as she
took up the work which she had been doing in the shade at the back