tuff in
me that is needed to make a good spy.

"Well, the way things are at present," Banks hurried on to cover our lapse
into an un-British sentimentality, "is like this. We'd meant, as I told
you, to run away...."

"And then she was afraid?"

"No, it was rather the other way round. It was me that was afraid. You
see, I thought I should take all the blame off the old man by going off
with her--him being away and all, I didn't think as even the Jervaises
could very well blame it on to him, overlooking what she pointed out, as
once we'd gone they'd simply have to get rid of him, too, blame or no
blame. They'd never stand having him and mother and Anne within a mile of
the Hall, as sort of relations. _I_ ought to have seen that, but one
forgets these things at the time."

I nodded sympathetically.

"So what it came to," he continued, "was that we might as well face it out
as not. She's like that--likes to have things straight and honest. So do
I, for the matter of that; but once you've been a gentleman's servant it
gets in your blood or something. I was three years as groom and so on up
at the Hall before I went to Canada. Should have been there now if it
hadn't been for mother. I was only a lad of sixteen when I went into
service, you see, and when I came back I got into the old habits again. I
tell you it's difficult once you've been in service to get out o' the way
of feeling that, well, old Jervaise, for instance, is a sort of little
lord god almighty."

"I can understand that," I agreed, and added, "but I'm rather sorry for
him, old Jervaise. He has been badly cut up, I think."

Banks looked at me sharply, with one of his keen, rather challenging turns
of expression. "Sorry for him? You needn't be," he said. "I could tell you
something--at least, I can't--but you can take it from me that you needn't
waste your pity on him."

I realised that this was another reference to that "pull" I had heard of,
which could not be used, and was not even to be spoken of to me after I
had been admitted to Banks's confidence. I realised, further, that my
guessing must have gone hopelessly astray. Here was the suggestion of
something far more sinister than a playing on the old man's affection for
his youngest child.

"Very well, I'll take it from you," I said. "On the other hand, you can
take it from me that old Jervaise is very much upset."

Banks smiled grimly. "He's nervous at dangerous corners, like you said,"
he retur