nger, and God knows what we
said to each other in this subtle communication through all the noise
and hubbub of the entrance place. Then suddenly the coachman's reins
tightened; there were some last bows; the chariot whirled away.

CHAPTER XXII

Chord ambled back, very proud indeed, and still wearing his fatuous
smile. He was bursting with a sense of social value, and to everybody
he seemed to be saying, "Did you see me?" He was overjoyed to find me
waiting for him. He needed a good listener at once. Otherwise he would
surely fly to pieces.

"I have been talking to the Countess of Westport and her daughter,
Lady Mary Strepp," he said pompously. "The Countess tells that the
Earl has been extremely indisposed during their late journey in the
West."

He spoke of the Earl's illness with an air of great concern, as if the
news had much upset him. He pretended that the day was quite
over-gloomed for him. Dear, dear! I doubted if he would be able to eat
any supper.

"Have a drop of something, old friend," said I sympathetically. "You
can't really go on this way. 'Twill ruin your nerves. I am surprised
that the Countess did not break the news to you more gently. She was
very inconsiderate, I am sure."

"No, no, don't blame the poor lady," cried Chord. "She herself was
quite distracted. The moment she saw me she ran to me--did you see her
run to me?"

"I did that," said I with emphasis.

"Aye, she ran to me," said the little fool, "and says she, 'Oh, my
dear Doctor, I must tell you at once the condition of the Earl.' And
when I heard everything I was naturally cut up, as you remarked, being
an old friend of the family, ahem!--yes, an old friend of the family."

He rattled on with his nonsensical lies, and in the mean time I made
up my mind to speak plainly to him, as I intended to make him of great
service to me.

"Stop a moment," said I good-naturedly. "I will hear no more of this
rubbish from you, you impudent little impostor. You care no more for
the Earl of Westport's illness than you do for telling the truth, and
I know how much you care for that. Listen to me, and I'll see if I
can't knock some sense into your little addled head. In the first
place the Earl of Westport and my father were old friends and
companions-in-arms in the service of the French king, and I came over
from Ireland especially to take a dying message and a token from my
father to the Earl. That is all you need know about that; but I