“‘Ordinary times about once a month. Depends how things are. But when this poacher bird Black Jack gets busy--well, I won’t pump the breeze up you, one of these sunny days you’ll know what I haven’t said! Anyway, I’m through, thank Theodore! Last Monday he threw a four-pound vase at my head, and I only side-stepped it by a millimetre. I’m not as young as I was. I’m off to Philadelphia next Thursday morning, so I should worry! Anyway, just remember when Black Jack is working his nets you watch his Lordship’s eyes when you take in his early morning brandy and soda, and _keep on your toes_!’ “Well, sir, I didn’t like this chap’s way of carrying on, though his obvious relief at leaving his job made me think twice, but I am easy to get on with as a rule, I wanted work badly, and the pay was very tempting. Also I thought this Peters was the wrong sort of person for Sir Roger, with all his American slang and loud ways. There was another thing which helped to persuade me to accept. Elm Court is a very beautiful place, and I’m very partial to good surroundings.” “It is!” said Mr. Ponders. “The finest medium-sized Tudor House in Great Britain, and the grounds are perfection.” “Yes, sir. After I had been in Sir Roger’s service for a week or so, I found out, sir, that he was subject to fits of heavy drinking. He was fairly moderate most of the time, sir, but about once a week he’d drink nearly a bottle of whisky besides other things. The housekeeper, Mrs. Miles, who had been with him many years, told me the habit was growing upon him. I was glad to find, sir, he seemed to take a liking to me; in fact, he quite made a friend of me. He saw very few people; it seemed he had got the wrong side of many of the gentry in the neighbourhood through rubbing them up the wrong way; it was as if he enjoyed doing it.