o,' stammered James.

'Suppose so! 'his cousin snarled at him, laying an unfriendly hand upon
him and jolting him roughly to and fro. 'You came on a horse, didn't
you? And if you didn't, how the devil did you get here?'

'Yes, yes, John,' the trembling rascal answered. 'I came on horseback,
to be sure--of course I came on horseback. How else,' he asked feebly,
'could I have got here on a night like this?'

'Then where's the horse? 'Jervase demanded.

'I don't know,' said James. 'He has been here before, he knows his way
to the stables. I--I heard him clattering off in that direction, I
am almost sure.' He made a pitiable attempt to collect himself, and
prattled on. 'Oh, yes, I am quite sure now--he clattered off towards the
stables--I remember--he has been here before, and he would know his way.
He's in the grounds in any case, for I know that the gate closed behind
him.'

'Why didn't you stop for half a minute, anyhow? 'asked Jervase, who was
glad of a chance to recover a seeming of composure for himself under the
shelter of a pretended anger. 'Why didn't you give somebody the word
in place of leaving a valuable beast like that wandering about in a
tempest?

'I don't know,' James answered, as feebly as ever. 'I was in a hurry to
get in.'

At this his cousin's temper broke altogether, or he was willing to
relieve the tension of his own mind by allowing it to seem as if it did
so.

'Of all the funking, skunking, silly cowardly devils----'

The General took him by the arm with a commanding grip.

'You forget, my good Jervase, you forget--my daughter is present,
and she is not accustomed to have her ears assailed by that sort of
language.'

'I beg your pardon,' said Jervase, suddenly cooling down. 'I beg ten
thousand pardons--I beg Miss Irene's pardon most of all. I forgot
myself, and I apologise.'

He bowed to the girl and fell to pacing up and down the room, casting
glances of wrath at the messenger of ill news.

The General, fearing a new outburst, turned to the old lady with his
courtliest air.

'We are all a little agitated for the moment by the strange tidings Mr.
Jervoyce has brought us, and they involve some matters of business about
which it will be better for us to hold a consultation between ourselves.
Will you be so very kind as to take Irene elsewhere for a little while?
'His voice and manner were perfectly composed, and his face lit up with
one of his rare sweet smiles as he added: 'I do no