“Proper good ’uns,” corroborated Mr. Beaumaris gravely.

Jemmy slid from the chair. “You ain’t slumming me? You won’t go a-givin’ of me back to ole Grimsby?”

“No, I won’t do that. Come and take a look at my horses!”

Jemmy hesitated, glancing up at Arabella, who at once took his hand, and said: “Yes, let us go and see them!”

When Jemmy beheld the equipage being led up and down the street, his eyes widened, and he drew a shuddering breath of ecstasy. “That’s a bang-up set-out, that is!” he said. “Will I drive them ’orses, guv’nor?”

“You will not,” said Mr. Beaumaris. “You may sit up beside me, however.”

“Yessir!” said Jemmy, recognizing the voice of authority.

“Up with you, then!” Mr. Beaumaris said, lifting him into the curricle. He turned, and found that Arabella was holding her hand out to him. He took it in his, and held it for a moment.

“I wish I might find the words to thank you!” she said. “You will let me know how he goes on.”

“You may rest easy on that head, Miss Tallant,” he said, bowing. He took the reins in his hand, and mounted into the carriage, and looked down maliciously at Lord Fleetwood, who had accompanied them out of the house, and was just taking his leave of Arabella. “Come, Charles!”

Lord Fleetwood started, and said hurriedly: “No, no, I’ll walk! No need to worry about me, my dear fellow!”

“Come, Charles!” repeated Mr. Beaumaris gently.

Lord Fleetwood, aware of Arabella’s eyes upon him, sighed, and said: “Oh, very well!” and climbed into the curricle, wedging Jemmy between himself and Mr. Beaumaris.

Mr. Beaumaris nodded to his gaping groom, and steadied the chestnuts as they sprang forward. “Coward,” he remarked.

“It ain’t that I’m a coward!” protested his lordship. “But we shall have all the fools in London staring after us! I can’t think what’s come over you, Robert! You’re never going to keep this brat in Mount Street! If it leaks out, and it’s bound to, I suppose you know everyone will think it’s a by-blow of yours?”

“The possibility had crossed my mind,” agreed Mr. Beaumaris. “I am sure I ought not to let it weigh with me: Miss Tallant certainly would not.”

“Well, damn it, I think that prosy fool, Bridlington, was right for once in his life! You’ve gone stark, staring mad!”

“Very true: I have known it this half-hour and more.”

Lord Fleetwood looked at him in some concern. “You know, Robert, if you’re not careful you’ll find yourself walking to the altar before you’re much older!” he said.

“No, she has the poorest opinion of me,” replied Mr. Beaumaris. “I perceive that my next step must be to pursue the individual known to us as ‘ole Grimsby’.”

“What?” gasped Fleetwood. “She never asked that of you!”

“No, but I feel she expects it of me.” He saw that the mention of the sweep’s name had made Jemmy look up at him in quick alarm, and said reassuringly: “No, I am not going to give you to him.”

“Robert, never in all the years I’ve known you have I seen you make such a cake of yourself!” said his friend, with brutal frankness. “First you let the little Tallant bamboozle you into saddling yourself with this horrid brat, and now you talk of meddling with a chimney-sweep! You! Why, it’s unheard of!”

“Yes, and, what is more, I have a shrewd suspicion that a benevolent career is going to prove extremely wearing,” said Mr. Beaumaris thoughtfully.

“I see what it is,” said Fleetwood, after regarding his profile for a few moments. “You’re so piqued she don’t favour you you’ll go to any lengths to fix your interest with the girl.”

“I will,” said Mr. Beaumaris cordially.

“Well, you’d better take care what you are about!” said his worldly-wise friend.

“I will,” said Mr. Beaumaris again.

Lord Fleetwood occupied himself during the rest of the short drive in delivering a severe lecture on the perfidy of those who, without having any serious intentions, attempted to cut out their friends with the season’s most notable catch, adding, for good measure, a lofty condemnation of hardened rakes who tried to deceive innocent country maidens.

Mr. Beaumaris listened to him with the utmost amiability, only interrupting to applaud this last flight of eloquence. “That’s very good, Charles,” he said approvingly. “Where did you pick it up?”

“Devil!” said his lordship, with feeling. “Well, I wash my hands of you—and I hope she will lead you a pretty dance!”

“I have a strong premonition,” replied Mr. Beaumaris, “that your hope is likely to be realized.”

Lord Fleetwood gave it up, and as Mr. Beaumaris saw no reason to take him into his confidence, what little time was left before Mount Street was reached was occupied in discussing the chances of the newest bruiser in his forthcoming fight with an acknowledged champion.

Mr. Beaumaris, at this stage, would have been chary of confiding in anyone the precise nature of his intentions. He was by no means sure that he knew what they were himself, but that he had called in Park Street for precisely the reasons described by his friend, and, when confronted by the vision of Arabella fighting for the future of her unattractive protégé, had undergone an enlightenment so blinding as almost to deprive him of his senses, was certain. No consideration of the conduct to be expected of a delicately nurtured female had stopped her. She knew no discomfiture when two gentlemen of fashion had arrived to find her embroiled in the concerns of an urchin far beneath the notice of any aspirant to social heights. No, by God I thought Mr. Beaumaris exultantly, she showed us what she thought of such frippery fellows as we are! We might have gone to the devil for all she cared. I might have made her a laughingstock only by recounting the story—as I could! Lord, yes, as I could! Did she know it? Would she have cared? Not a farthing, the little Tallant! But I must stop Charles spreading this all over town.

Mr. Beaumaris, hunting now in earnest, was by far too experienced a sportsman to pursue his quarry too closely. He let several days pass before making any attempt to approach Arabella. When next he encountered her it was at a ball given by the Charnwoods. He asked her to stand up with him for one of the country-dances, but when the moment for taking their places in the set came, led her to a sofa, saying: “Shall you object to sitting down with me instead? One can never converse in comfort while dancing, and I must consult you about our urchin.”

“No, indeed!” she said warmly. “I have been so anxious to know how he goes on!” She seated herself, holding her fan in her clasped hands, and raised her eyes to his face in an enquiring look. “Is he well? Is he happy?”

“As far as I have been able to ascertain,” replied Mr. Beaumaris carefully, “he is not only fast recovering the enjoyment of excellent health, but is achieving no common degree of felicity by conduct likely to deprive me of the services of most of my existent staff.”

Arabella considered this. Mr. Beaumaris watched appreciatively the wrinkling of her thoughtful brow. “Is he very naughty?” she asked presently.

“According to thereport of my housekeeper, Miss Tallant—but I daresay she is not to be at all believed!—he is the embodiment of too many vices for me to enumerate.”

She seemed to accept this with unimpaired calm, for she nodded understandingly.

“Pray do not think that I should dream of burdening you with anything so unimportant as the complaints of a mere housekeeper!” begged Mr. Beaumaris. “Nothing but the most urgent of exigencies could have prevailed upon me to open my lips to you upon this subject!” She looked startled, and enquiring: “You see,” he said apologetically, “it is Alphonse!”

“Alphonse?”

“My chef,” explained Mr. Beaumaris. “Of course, if you say so, ma’am, he shall go! But I must own that his departure would cause me grave concern. I do not mean to say that my Me would be shattered, precisely, for no doubt there are other chefs who have his way with a soufflé, and who do not take such violent exception to the raids of small boys upon the larder!”

“But this is quite absurd, Mr. Beaumaris!” said Arabella severely. “You must have been indulging Jemmy beyond what is right! I daresay he is excessively ill-behaved: it is always so, unless their spirits are utterly broken, and we must be thankful that his are not!”

“Very true!” agreed Mr. Beaumaris, entranced by this wisdom. “I will at once present this view of the matter to Alphonse.”

Arabella shook her head. “Oh, no! it would not be of the least avail, I daresay! Foreigners,” she said largely, “have no notion how to manage children! What is to be done?”

“I cannot help feeling,” said Mr. Beaumaris, “that Jemmy would benefit by country air.”

This suggestion found favour. “Nothing could be better for him!” agreed Arabella. “Besides, there is no reason why he should tease you, I am sure! Only how may it be contrived?”

Much relieved at having so easily cleared this fence, Mr. Beaumaris said: “The notion did just cross my mind, ma’am, that if I were to take him into Hampshire, where I have estates, no doubt some respectable household might be found for him,”

“One of your tenants! The very thing!” exclaimed Arabella. “Quite a simple cottage, mind, and a sensible woman to take care of him! Only I am afraid she would have to be paid a small sum to do it”

Mr. Beaumaris, who felt that no sum could be too large for the ridding of his house of one small imp who threatened to disrupt it, bore up nobly under the warning, and said that he had envisaged this possibility, and was prepared to meet it. It then occurred to Arabella that he might reasonably expect so great an heiress as herself to bear the charge of her protégé and she embarked on a tangled explanation of why she could not at present do so. Mr. Beaumaris interrupted her speech when it showed signs of becoming ravelled beyond hope. “No, no, Miss Tallant!” he said. “Do not deny me this opportunity to perform a charitable action, I beg of you!”