no! Assure you, ma'am! Always happy to be of service," said Mr. Fancot gallantly. "Pleasure!"
Letty, to whom relief had brought its inevitable sequel, said in a furious undervoice: "Idiot!"
"Nothing of the sort!" said the Viscount, overhearing. "In fact, if we're to talk of idiots—"
"I think you are detestable! You broke your engagement with Nell in the rudest way, just that you might play this odious trick on her, and frightened us to death for sport! Sport!"
"What a hen-hearted girl you are!" remarked his lordship scornfully. "Frightened you to death, indeed! Lord, Nell's worth a dozen of you! Not but what she's got more hair than wit! Of course I didn't do it for sport! I had a devilish good reason, but one might as well try to milk a pigeon as set about helping a female out of a fix!"
Letty was so much intrigued by this cryptic utterance that her wrath gave place to the liveliest curiosity. "What can you mean? Who is in a fix? Is it Nell? But how— Oh, do tell me! I'm sorry I was cross, but how could I guess it was a plot, when no one told me?"
"Ask Nell!" recommended Dysart. "You'd best be on your way, if you don't wish to be late. I'll follow you presently."
"Dysart!" said Nell despairingly. "It must be nearly eleven o'clock already! How can you possibly follow us? You cannot attend a masquerade in your riding-dress, and by the time you have returned to town, and—"
"Now, don't fly into a fidget!" begged Dysart. "I'm not going all the way back to London! You must think I'm a gudgeon!"
"Oh, I do!" she interpolated, on a quiver of laughter.
"Well, that's where you're fair and far off," he told her severely. "I've got all my toggery waiting for me at the Golden Lion here, and a chaise hired to bring me on to Brent House. Yes, and when I think that I never planned anything so carefully in my life, only to have it overset because nothing would do for you but to show how clever you are by screeching that you knew me, I have dashed good mind to wash my hands of the whole business!"
"Good God, dear boy, mustn't say things like that!" intervened Mr. Fancot, considerably shocked. "I know you don't mean it, but if anyone else heard you—"
"Well, there isn't anyone else to hear me," said the Viscount snappishly, walking away to where his groom was holding his horse.
Mr. Fancot, feeling that it behoved him to make his excuses for him, pressed up to the carriage, and bowed again to its dimly seen occupants, saying confidentially: "He don't mean what he says when he gets in a miff—no need to tell you so! I know Dy, you know Dy! He won't buckle!"
"Mr. Fancot," said Nell, almost overcome by mortification, "I am persuaded I have no need to beg you not to tell anyone why Dysart tried to hold me up tonight!"
"I shouldn't dream of it!" Mr. Fancot assured her earnestly. "Wild horses couldn't drag it out of me! Well, it stands to reason they couldn't, because, now I come to think of it, I don't know."
"You don't know?" she repeated incredulously.
"Forgot to ask him," he explained. "Well, I mean to say—no business of mine! Dy said, Come and help me to hold up m'sister's carriage! and I said, Done! or some such thing. Nothing else I could say. Dashed inquisitive to be asking him why, you know!"
At this moment Dysart called impatiently to him, so he made his bow, and went off. Nell sank back into her corner of the carriage, exclaiming: "Thank heavens! I was ready to sink!" She became aware of her footman awaiting orders, and said hastily: "Tell James to drive on, if you please! His lordship was—was just funning!"
"I should think he must believe his lordship to be out of his mind," observed Letty, as the carriage moved forward. "Why did he do it, Nell?"
"Oh, for a nonsensical reason!"
"Very likely! But what nonsensical reason?"
"I wish you will take a leaf out of that absurd Fancot's book, and not ask inquisitive questions!"
"I daresay you do, but I shan't! Come, now, you sly thing!"
"No, pray don't tease me!"
Letty, to whom relief had brought its inevitable sequel, said in a furious undervoice: "Idiot!"
"Nothing of the sort!" said the Viscount, overhearing. "In fact, if we're to talk of idiots—"
"I think you are detestable! You broke your engagement with Nell in the rudest way, just that you might play this odious trick on her, and frightened us to death for sport! Sport!"
"What a hen-hearted girl you are!" remarked his lordship scornfully. "Frightened you to death, indeed! Lord, Nell's worth a dozen of you! Not but what she's got more hair than wit! Of course I didn't do it for sport! I had a devilish good reason, but one might as well try to milk a pigeon as set about helping a female out of a fix!"
Letty was so much intrigued by this cryptic utterance that her wrath gave place to the liveliest curiosity. "What can you mean? Who is in a fix? Is it Nell? But how— Oh, do tell me! I'm sorry I was cross, but how could I guess it was a plot, when no one told me?"
"Ask Nell!" recommended Dysart. "You'd best be on your way, if you don't wish to be late. I'll follow you presently."
"Dysart!" said Nell despairingly. "It must be nearly eleven o'clock already! How can you possibly follow us? You cannot attend a masquerade in your riding-dress, and by the time you have returned to town, and—"
"Now, don't fly into a fidget!" begged Dysart. "I'm not going all the way back to London! You must think I'm a gudgeon!"
"Oh, I do!" she interpolated, on a quiver of laughter.
"Well, that's where you're fair and far off," he told her severely. "I've got all my toggery waiting for me at the Golden Lion here, and a chaise hired to bring me on to Brent House. Yes, and when I think that I never planned anything so carefully in my life, only to have it overset because nothing would do for you but to show how clever you are by screeching that you knew me, I have dashed good mind to wash my hands of the whole business!"
"Good God, dear boy, mustn't say things like that!" intervened Mr. Fancot, considerably shocked. "I know you don't mean it, but if anyone else heard you—"
"Well, there isn't anyone else to hear me," said the Viscount snappishly, walking away to where his groom was holding his horse.
Mr. Fancot, feeling that it behoved him to make his excuses for him, pressed up to the carriage, and bowed again to its dimly seen occupants, saying confidentially: "He don't mean what he says when he gets in a miff—no need to tell you so! I know Dy, you know Dy! He won't buckle!"
"Mr. Fancot," said Nell, almost overcome by mortification, "I am persuaded I have no need to beg you not to tell anyone why Dysart tried to hold me up tonight!"
"I shouldn't dream of it!" Mr. Fancot assured her earnestly. "Wild horses couldn't drag it out of me! Well, it stands to reason they couldn't, because, now I come to think of it, I don't know."
"You don't know?" she repeated incredulously.
"Forgot to ask him," he explained. "Well, I mean to say—no business of mine! Dy said, Come and help me to hold up m'sister's carriage! and I said, Done! or some such thing. Nothing else I could say. Dashed inquisitive to be asking him why, you know!"
At this moment Dysart called impatiently to him, so he made his bow, and went off. Nell sank back into her corner of the carriage, exclaiming: "Thank heavens! I was ready to sink!" She became aware of her footman awaiting orders, and said hastily: "Tell James to drive on, if you please! His lordship was—was just funning!"
"I should think he must believe his lordship to be out of his mind," observed Letty, as the carriage moved forward. "Why did he do it, Nell?"
"Oh, for a nonsensical reason!"
"Very likely! But what nonsensical reason?"
"I wish you will take a leaf out of that absurd Fancot's book, and not ask inquisitive questions!"
"I daresay you do, but I shan't! Come, now, you sly thing!"
"No, pray don't tease me!"
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