“Keep the girl's name out of it, if you please.” Ross gave a long whistle. “I was only saying the poor little woman----” “It's damnable, and I'll have no more of it.” “There's no duty on speech, I hope, in your precious Isle of Man.” “There is, though,” said Philip, “a duty of decency and honour, and to name that girl, foolish as she is, in the same breath with your women--But here, listen to me. Best tell you now, so there may be no mistake and no excuse. Miss Cregeen is to be married to a friend of mine. I needn't say who he is--he comes close enough to you at all events. When he's at home, he's able to take care of his own affairs; but while he's abroad I've got to see that no harm comes to his promised wife. I mean to do it, too. Do you understand me, Ross? I mean to do it. Good night!” They were at the gate of Ballawhaine by this time, and Ross went through it giggling. IV. The following evening found Philip at “The Manx Fairy” again. Ross was there as usual, and he was laughing and talking in a low tone with Kate. This made Philip squirm on his chair, but Kate's behaviour tortured him. Her enjoyment of the man's jests was almost uproarious. She was signalling to him and peering up at him gaily. Her conduct disgusted Philip. It seemed to him an aggravation of her offence that as often as he caught the look of her face there was a roguish twinkle in the eye on his side, and a deliberate cast in his direction. This open disregard of the sanctity of a pledged word, this barefaced indifference to the presence of him who stood to represent it, was positively indecent. This was what women were! Deceit was bred in their bones. It added to Philip's gathering wrath that Cæsar, who sat in shirt-sleeves making up his milling accounts from slates ciphered with crosses, and triangles, and circles, and half circles, was lifting his eyes from time to time to look first at them and then at him, with an expression of contempt. At a burst of fresh laughter and a shot of the bright eyes, Philip surged up to his feet, thrust himself between Ross and Kate, turned his back on him and his face to her, and said in a peremptory voice, “Come into the parlour instantly--I have something to say to you.” “Oh, indeed!” said Kate. But she came, looking mischievous and yet demure, with her head down but her eyes peering under their long upper lashes. “Why don't you send this fellow about his business?” said Philip. Kate looked up in blank surprise. “What fellow?” she said. “What fellow?” said Philip, “why, this one that is shillyshallying with you night after night.” “You can never mean your own cousin, Philip?” said Kate. “More's the pity if he is my cousin, but he's no fit company for you.” “I'm sure the gentleman is polite enough.” “So's the devil himself.” “He can behave and keep his temper, anyway.” “Then it's the only thing he can keep. He can't keep his character or his credit or his honor, and you should not encourage him.”