The earl was embarrassed.  He was not accustomed to such frankness.  He was embarrassed also by the six feet three of Phelim.  He himself was only six feet.

“I do not know piquet,” he said.

“Ah,” said Phelim, “it cost me much to learn what I know of it, and I will gladly impart that little for the pleasure of your companionship.  I will play you for love.”

The earl took counsel with himself—­“So long as he is playing piquet with me,” he said to himself, “so long he cannot be making love to Nora.”

“How long will it take me to learn the game?” he asked.

“As long,” answered Phelim, “as you have ready money.  When you begin to give due bills you have begun to grasp the rudiments of the game.”

“Then,” said the earl, “I shall be an apt pupil, for I shall give an IOU the first time I lose”

“In piquet,” said Phelim, squaring himself, and placing the index finger of his right hand in his left hand, after the manner of the didactic, “the great thing is the discard, and your discard should be governed by two considerations—­first, to better your own hand, and second, to cripple your opponent’s.  Your moderate player never thinks of this latter consideration.  His only thought is to better his own hand.  He never discards an ace.  The mere size of it dazzles him, and he will keep aces and discard tens, forgetting that you cannot have a sequence of more than four without a ten, and that you can have one of seven without the ace, and that a king is as good as an ace, if the latter is in the discard.  I am speakin’ now,” continued Phelim, “of the beginner.  Let us suppose one who has spent one thousand pounds on the game, and is presumed to have learned somethin’ for his money.  His fault is apt to be that he sacrifices too much that he may count cards.  I grant you that you cannot count sixty or ninety if your opponent has cards, but you may, if cards are tied.  When I was a beginner I used to see Colonel Mellish make discards, on the mere chance of tyin’ the cards, that seemed to me simply reckless.  I soon discovered, however, that they were simply scientific.  One more thing—­always remember that there is no average card in a piquet pack.  The average is halfway between the ten-spot and the knave.  Now, what are the chances of the junior hand discardin’ a ten and drawin’ a higher card?  In the Kildare Club they are understood to be two and three-eighths to one against, although Colonel Mellish claims they are two and five-eighths to one.  The colonel is an authority, but I think he is a trifle pessimistic.  He—­”

“There, Phelim,” said Lady Nora, “I think that is enough for the first lesson.  We dine at eight.  If Lord Vauxhall has nothing better to do perhaps he will come with you.”

“We’ll dine on deck, Phelim, dear,” said Miss O’Kelly.  “You won’t have to go below.”

VII

The next morning the earl went to the church, as usual.  He had not slept well.  The advent of Phelim had set him to thinking.  Here was a rival; and a dangerous one.  He admitted this grudgingly, for an Englishman is slow to see a rival in a foreigner, and who so foreign as an Irishman?