, or ginger-beer, or lollipops,--for
those who like them. Do you mean to tell me you can taste wine with
half a pickled orange in your mouth?"

"It'll come to him soon enough," said the squire.

"Twenty port won't come to him when he is as old as we are," said the
earl, forgetting that by that time sixty port will be as wonderful to
the then living seniors of the age as was his own pet vintage to him.

The good wine did in some sort soften the squire; but, as a matter of
course, nothing further was said as to the new matrimonial scheme.
The earl did observe, however, that Mr Dale was civil, and even kind,
to his own young friend, asking a question here and there as to his
life in London, and saying something about the work at the Income-tax
Office.

"It is hard work," said Eames. "If you're under the line, they make
a great row about it, send for you, and look at you as though you'd
been robbing the bank; but they think nothing of keeping you till
five."

"But how long do you have for lunch and reading the papers?" said the
earl.

"Not ten minutes. We take a paper among twenty of us for half the
day. That's exactly nine minutes to each; and as for lunch, we only
have a biscuit dipped in ink."

"Dipped in ink!" said the squire.

"It comes to that, for you have to be writing while you munch it."

"I hear all about you," said the earl; "Sir Raffle Buffle is an old
crony of mine."

"I don't suppose he ever heard my name as yet," said Johnny. "But do
you really know him well, Lord De Guest?"

"Haven't seen him these thirty years; but I did know him."

"We call him old Huffle Scuffle."

"Huffle Scuffle! Ha, ha, ha! He always was Huffle Scuffle; a noisy,
pretentious, empty-headed fellow. But I oughtn't to say so before
you, young man. Come, we'll go into the drawing-room."

"And what did he say?" asked Lady Julia, as soon as the squire was
gone.

There was no attempt at concealment, and the question was asked in
Johnny's presence.

"Well, he did not say much. And coming from him, that ought to be
taken as a good sign. He is to think of it, and let me see him again.
You hold your head up, Johnny, and remember that you shan't want a
friend on your side. Faint heart never won fair lady."

At seven o'clock on the following morning Eames started on his return
journey, and was at his desk at twelve o'clock, as per agreement with
his taskmaster at the Income-tax Office.

CHAPTER XXXIV

The Combat