Frank.

"The back way would be the wisest," said Priscilla, "but in the state of
grandeur you're in now----"

"Oh, do drop it, Priscilla."

"I don't want to keep it up."

"Then go by the back door."

"Do you promise to tell me all about it, supposing they tell you, and
they may? You can never be sure what they'll do."

"Yes, I promise."

"A faithful, solemn oath?"

"Yes."

"Whether it's the sort of thing a girl ought to be told or not?"

"Yes. Only do go on. It'll take me hours to dress, and we're awfully
late already."

Priscilla trotted briskly through the shrubbery, crossed the yard and
helped Frank out of the chair at the gunroom door. She gave him her arm
while he hobbled up the back stairs. At the top of the first flight she
deserted him suddenly. She darted forward, half opened a baize covered
swing door and peeped through.

"I just thought I heard them at it," she said. "Mrs. Geraghty and the
two housemaids are rioting in the long gallery, dragging the furniture
about and, generally speaking, playing old hokey. That gives us a
certain amount of information, Cousin Frank."

CHAPTER X

ROSNACREE HOUSE was built early in the 19th century by the Lentaigne of
that day, one Sir Francis. At the beginning of that century the Irish
gentry were still an aristocracy. They ruled, and had among their number
men who were gentlemen of the grand style, capable of virile passions
and striking deeds, incapable, constitutionally and by training, of the
prudent foresight of careful tradesmen. Lord Thormanby, who rejoiced in
a brand new Union peerage and was a wealthy man, kept race horses. Sir
Francis, who, except for the Union peerage, was as big a man as Lord
Thormanby, kept race horses too. Lord Thormanby bought a family coach of
remarkable proportions. Sir Francis ordered a duplicate of it from the
same coach-builder. Lord Thormanby employed an Italian architect to
build him a house. Sir Francis sought out the same architect and gave
him orders to build another house, identical with Lord Thormanby's in
design, but having each room two feet longer, two feet higher and
two feet broader than the corresponding room at Thormanby Park. The
architect, after talking a good deal about proportions in a way which
Sir Francis did not understand, accepted the commission and erected
Rosnacree House.

The two additional cubic feet made all the difference. Lord Thormanby's
fortune survived the building operations.