“You call yourselves gentlemen,” said Miss Blow. “No,” said Lord Manton; “we don’t. I certainly don’t. And I should be surprised to hear that Mr. Goddard did. The word is quite out of fashion, I assure you. Nobody uses it nowadays. Don’t bring unjust charges against us, Miss Blow. There are lots of things we may be accused of with truth. We’re not the men we ought to be, especially Mr. Goddard. Charge us with the things we’ve done, and we’ll confess at once and apologize. But don’t be unjust. We never called ourselves gentlemen.” “You ran away from me yesterday,” said Miss Blow, addressing Mr. Goddard, “after promising faithfully that you’d help me. You ran away again to-day. You would be running away now if I hadn’t caught you in the act.” “He did and he would,” said Lord Manton. “I’ve just been speaking to him about it. I told him his conduct was disgraceful. I’m glad now that he’ll hear what you think of it from your own lips. It’ll do him good.” Mr. Goddard frowned and shuffled uneasily. Even though he had been fairly warned of the principle on which Lord Manton treated his friends in emergencies, he did not expect to be sacrificed so completely and remorselessly. “You’re as bad yourself,” said Miss Blow. “No,” said Lord Manton; “I’m not. Try to be just, Miss Blow. I didn’t run away from you.” “You’re just as bad as he is,” said Miss Blow. Her voice was clear and loud. Lord Manton glanced anxiously towards the hall. It was quite possible that the noise of the denunciation might reach the drawing-room. “Wilkins,” he said, “did you shut the door of the big drawing-room?” “No, my lord; I understood your lordship to say that this lady----” “Then go and do it at once. I can’t have the other three---- Miss Blow is speaking to us in a confidential manner and doesn’t want----” “Who are you shutting up?” said Miss Blow. “Who is your lackey going to imprison?” “Some ladies,” said Lord Manton. “There are, I believe, three of them. But I’m not imprisoning them. I’m only trying to keep them where they are for a few minutes. I’m doing it entirely on your account. They wouldn’t be at all cheering company for you. They have, unfortunately, just lost their husbands under the most mysterious and trying circumstances. Members of Parliament, you know. Excellent fellows every one of them. The whole thing is unspeakably sad.” “Are those the ladies----?” said Miss Blow. “But of course they are. I heard about that. Do you mean to say that you’re going to sit here and do nothing, nothing whatever, while men are being murdered in this wholesale manner every day? Will you make no effort to bring the criminals to justice and prevent the loss of more human life? You, sir,” she addressed Mr. Goddard, “you wear his Majesty’s uniform; you are an officer in what is supposed to be a police force----” “It is a police force,” said Mr. Goddard feebly. “It really is, although I am an officer in it.”