are we going to see?" I asked.

He did not reply at once, and then snapped out, "Anne Banks; friend er
Brenda's."

My foolishly whimsical imagination translated that queer medley of sounds
into the thought of a stable-pump. I heard the clank of the handle and
then the musical rush of water into the pail.

"Sounds just like a pump," I said thoughtlessly.

He half withdrew his arm from mine with an abrupt twitch that indicated
temper.

"Oh! don't for God's sake play the fool," he said brutally.

A spasm of resentment shook me for a moment. I felt annoyed, remembering
how at school he would await his opportunity and then score off me with
some insulting criticism. He had never had any kind of sympathy for the
whimsical, and it is a manner that is apt to look inane and ridiculous
under certain kinds of censure. I swallowed my annoyance, on this
occasion. I remembered that Jervaise had a reasonable excuse, for once.

"Sorry," I said. "I didn't mean to play the fool. But you must admit that
it had a queer sound." I repeated the adjectival sentence under my breath.
It really was a rather remarkable piece of onomatopoeia. And then I
reflected on the absurdity of our conversation. How could we achieve all
this ordinary trivial talk of everyday in the gloom of this romantic
adventure?

"Oh! all serene," Jervaise returned, still with the sound of irritation in
his voice, and continued as if the need for confidence had suddenly
overborne his anger. "As a matter of fact she's his sister."

"Whose sister?" I asked, quite at a loss.

"Oh! Banks's, of course," he said.

"But who in the name of goodness is Banks?" I inquired irritably. The
petulant tone was merely an artifice. I realised that if I were meek, he
would lose more time in abusing my apparent imbecility. I know that the
one way to beat a bully is by bullying, but I hate even the pretence of
that method.

Jervaise grunted as if the endeavour to lift the weight of my ignorance
required an almost intolerable physical effort.

"Why, this fellow--our chauffeur," he said in a voice so threateningly
restrained that he seemed on the point of bursting.

There was no help for it; I had to take the upper hand.

"Well, my good idiot," I said, "you can't expect me to know these things
by intuition. I've never heard of the confounded fellow before. Haven't
even seen him, now. Nor his sister--Anne Banks, Frienderbrenda's."

Jervaise was calmed by this outburst. This was