ale and drew back. Evidently he had
not yet heard the news. And, mind you, I could see that he would fight
me the next moment. He would come up and be killed like a gentleman.
But the name of a great conqueror had simply appalled him and smitten
him back.

The Earl was gazing at me with an entirely new expression. He had
cleverly eliminated all dislike from his eyes. He covered me with a
friendly regard.

"O'Ruddy," he said softly, "I would have some private speech with you.
Come into my chamber."

The Earl leaned on the shoulder of his valet and a little fat doctor,
and walked painfully into another room. I followed, knowing that I was
now to withstand a subtle, wheedling, gentle attempt to gain the
papers without the name of Lady Mary being mentioned.

The Earl was slowly lowered into a great chair. After a gasp of relief
he devoted a brightening attention to me. "You are not a bad fellow,
O'Ruddy," he observed. "You remind me greatly of your father. Aye, he
was a rare dog, a rare dog!"

"I've heard him say so, many is the day, sir," I answered.

"Aye, a rare dog!" chuckled the old man. "I have in my memory some
brisk pictures of your father with his ready tongue, his
what-the-devil-does-it-matter-sir, and that extraordinary
swordsmanship which you seem to have inherited."

"My father told me you were great friends in France," I answered
civilly, "but from some words you let drop in Bristol I judged that he
was mistaken."

"Tut," said the Earl. "You are not out of temper with me, are you,
O'Ruddy?"

"With me happily in possession of the papers," I rejoined, "I am in
good temper with everybody. 'Tis not for me to lose my good nature
when I hold all the cards."

The Earl's mouth quickly dropped to a sour expression, but almost as
quickly he put on a pleasant smile. "Aye," he said, nodding his sick
head. "Always jovial, always jovial. Precisely like his father. In
fact it brings back an old affection."

"If the old affection had been brought back a little earlier, sir,"
said I, "we all would have had less bother. 'Twas you who in the
beginning drew a long face and set a square chin over the business. I
am now in the mood to be rather airy."

Our glances blazed across each other.

"But," said the Earl in the gentlest of voices, "you have my papers,
O'Ruddy, papers entrusted to you by your dying father to give into the
hands of his old comrade. Would you betray such a sacred trust? Could
you wanton yours