"No, Sir; I do not care to count. My Uncle knew You to be honest, or he would not have placed his affairs in your hands. That is sufficient for me. I, on the other hand, have received the money.... That is sufficient for You." "But——!" ejaculated Mr. Baggs, driven out of his timidity by such summary procedure. "Egad, Sir!" broke in my Lord, more haughtily than before. "Are you perchance supposing that I might claim money which I have already had?" "No ... no!" protested Mr. Baggs hastily. "I assure you, my Lord ... er ... that it is ... h’m ... a mere formality ... and..." "My word," retorted my Lord coolly, "is sufficient formality." Whereupon he turned to the door, taking no more notice of me than if I were the doormat. He nodded to Mr. Baggs, who was of a truth too deeply shaken to speak, and with a curt "I wish you good-day, Mr. Notary!" strode out of the room. I doubt not, Mistress, that You and many others of gentle Manners if not of gentle Birth, would think that in recounting this brief interview between my employer and the young Earl of Stour, I have been guilty of exaggeration in depicting my Lord’s arrogance. Yet, on my word, it all occurred just as I have told it. No doubt that Mr. Baggs’ obsequiousness must have been irritating, and that it literally called forth the haughty Retort which otherwise might have remained unspoken. I myself, humble and insignificant as I am, have oft felt an almost uncontrollable impulse to kick my worthy Employer into some measure of manliness. For let me assure You that, though subsequently I became more closely acquainted with my Lord Stour, I never heard him use such haughty language to any of his Dependents, nor do I think that so gentle a Lady as Lady Barbara Wychwoode would have bestowed her fondness and regard upon him had his Nature been as supercilious and as insolent as his Words. 5 That afternoon was indeed destined to be fuller of events than I ever could have anticipated. No sooner had I closed the door upon my Lord Stour, when I heard footsteps ascending the stairs, and then my Lord’s voice raised once more, this time with a tone of pleasure mingled with astonishment. "Wychwoode, by gad!" he exclaimed. "And what in Heaven’s name have you come to do in the old fox’s lair?" I did not hear the immediate reply. More fussy than ever, Mr. Baggs had already signed to me to reopen the door. "Lord Douglas Wychwoode," he murmured hurriedly in my ear. "One of the younger sons of the Marquis of Sidbury. I am indeed fortunate to-day. The scions of our great Nobility do seek my help and counsel..." and more such senseless words did he utter, whilst the two young Gentlemen paused for a moment upon the landing, talking with one another. "I thought you still in France," Lord Douglas said to his friend. "What hath brought you home so unexpectedly?"