"You see, this chap, Banks," he began, "isn't quite the ordinary chauffeur Johnnie. He's the son of one of our farmers. Decent enough old fellow, too, in his way--the father, I mean. Family's been tenants of the Home Farm for centuries. And this chap, Banks, the son, has knocked about the world, no end. Been in Canada and the States and all kinds of weird places. He's hard as nails; and keen. His mother was a Frenchwoman; been a governess." "Is she dead?" I asked. "Lord, no. Why should she be?" Jervaise replied peevishly. I thought of explaining that he had made the implication by his use of the past tense, but gave up the idea as involving a waste of energy. "How old is this chap, Banks; the son?" I asked. "I don't know," Jervaise said. "About twenty-five." "And his sister?" I prodded him. "Rather younger than that," he said, after an evident hesitation, and added: "She's frightfully pretty." I checked my natural desire to comment on the paradox; and tried the stimulation of an interested "_Is_ she?" "Rather." He tacked that on in the tone of one who deplores the inevitable; and went on quickly, "You needn't infer that I've made an ass of myself or that I'm going to. In our position..." He abandoned that as being, perhaps, too obvious. "What I mean to say is," he continued, "that I can't understand about Brenda. And it was such an infernally silly way of going about things. Admitted that there was no earthly chance of the pater giving his consent or anything like it; she needn't in any case have made a damned spectacle of the affair. But that's just like her. Probably did it all because she wanted to be dramatic or some rot." It was then that I expressed my appreciation of the dramatic quality of the incident, and was snubbed by his saying,-- "I suppose you realise just what this may mean, to all of us." I had a vivid impression, in the darkness, of that sudden scowl which made him look so absurdly like a youthful version of Sir Edward Carson. I was wondering why it should mean so much to all of them? Frank Jervaise had admitted, for all intents and purposes, that he was in love with the chauffeur's sister, so he, surely, need not have so great an objection. And, after all, why was the family of Jervaise so much better than the family of Banks? "I suppose it would be very terrible for you all if she married this chap?" I said. "Unthinkable," Jervaise replied curtly. "It would be worse in a way than your marrying the sister?" "I should never be such an infernal fool as to do a thing like that," he returned. "Has she ... have there been any tender passages between you and Miss Banks?" I asked. "No," he snapped viciously. "You've been too careful?" "As a matter of fact, I don't think she likes me," he said. "Oh!" was all my comment.