“Chiv⁠—! No. It is just that I could not let him think me an honourable gentleman. He took it well, on the whole, and is now frigidly polite.”

“Polite! I should hope so! The ould scarecrow, after ye’d saved his daughter on him, too! And ’twas he made ye so furious?”

Carstares laughed.

“He and myself. You see⁠—he⁠—lectured me⁠—oh! quite kindly⁠—on the error of my ways, and⁠—it hurt.”

“ ’Tis as well ye are coming to me then, the way things are with ye at present.”

My lord opened his mouth to speak, encountered a fiery glance, and shut it again.

“Anything to say?” inquired O’Hara with a threatening gleam in his eye.

“No, sir,” replied Jack meekly.