“James, sir,” answered the other, touching his damp forelock.

“Are they drunk?” asked Mrs. De Peyton, with fresh enthusiasm.

“No, they are not, poor fellows,” cried Penelope.  “They have taken nothing but water.”

“By Jove, deuced clever that,” drawled the duke.  “Eh?” to the New Yorker.

“Deuced,” from the Knickerbocker.

“Well, well, what’s it all about?” demanded Bazelhurst.

“Mr. Shaw, sir,” said James.

“Good Lord, couldn’t you rescue him?” in horror.

“He rescued us, sir,” mumbled Tompkins.

“You mean—­”

“He throwed us in and then had to jump in and pull us out, sir.  Beggin’ your pardon, sir, but damn him!”

“And you didn’t throw him in, after all?  By Jove, extraordinary!”

“Do you mean to tell us that he threw you great hulking creatures into the river?  Single-handed?” cried Lady Bazelhurst, aghast.

“He did, Evelyn,” inserted Penelope.  “I met them coming home, and poor Tompkins was out of his senses.  I don’t know how it happened, but—­”

“It was this way, your ladyship,” put in James, the groom.  “Tompkins and me could see him from the point there, sir, afishin’ below the log.  So we says to each other ‘Come on,’ and up we went to where he was afishin’.  Tompkins, bein’ the game warden, says he to him ’Hi there!’ He was plainly on our property, sir, afishin’ from a boat for bass, sir.  ‘Hello, boys,’ says he back to us.  ‘Get off our land,’ says Tompkins.  ‘I am,’ says he; ‘it’s water out here where I am.’  Then—­”

“You’re wrong,” broke in Tompkins.  “He said ’it’s wet out here where I am.’”

“You’re right.  It was wet.  Then Tompkins called him a vile name, your lordship—­shall I repeat it, sir?”

“No, no!” cried four feminine voices.

“Yes, do,” muttered the duke.

“He didn’t wait after that, sir.  He rowed to shore in a flash and landed on our land.  ‘What do you mean by that?’ he said, mad-like.  ’My orders is to put you off this property,’ says Tompkins, ’or to throw you in the river.’  ‘Who gave these orders?’ asked Mr. Shaw.  ’Lord Bazelhurst, sir, damn you—­’ beg pardon, sir; it slipped out.  ’And who the devil is Lord Bazelhurst?’ said he.  ‘Hurst,’ said Tompkins.  ’He owns this ground.  Can’t you see the mottoes on the trees—­No Trespassin’?’—­but Mr. Shaw said:  ’Well, why don’t you throw me in the river?’ He kinder smiled when he said it.  ‘I will,’ says Tompkins, and made a rush for him.  I don’t just remember why I started in to help Tompkins, but I did.  Somehow, sir, Mr. Shaw got—­”

“Don’t call him Mr.  Shaw.  Just Shaw; he’s no gentleman,” exploded Lord Bazelhurst.

“But he told us both to call him ‘Mister,’ sir, as long as we lived.  I kinder got in the habit of it, your lordship, up there.  That is, that’s what he told us after he got through with us.  Well, anyhow, he got the start of us an’—­there’s Tompkins’ eyes, sir, and look at my ear.  Then he pitched us both in the river.”