Old Tom looked at him keenly, and rapped the table.  ’Swear you did it, Nan.’

‘You promise you’ll keep the secret,’ said Andrew.

‘Never make promises.’

’Then there’s a pretty life for me!  I did it for that poor dear boy.  You were only up to one of your jokes—­I see that.  Confound you, Old Tom, you’ve been making a fool of me.’

The flattering charge was not rejected by Old Tom, who now had his brother to laugh at as well.  Andrew affected to be indignant and desperate.

’If you’d had a heart, Tom, you’d have saved the poor fellow without any bother at all.  What do you think?  When I told him of our smash—­ha! ha! it isn’t such a bad joke-well, I went to him, hanging my head, and he offered to arrange our affairs—­that is—­’

‘Damned meddlesome young dog!’ cried Old Tom, quite in a rage.

‘There—­you’re up in a twinkling,’ said Andrew.  ’Don’t you see he believed it, you stupid Old Tom?  Lord! to hear him say how sorry he was, and to see how glad he looked at the chance of serving us!’

‘Serving us!’ Tom sneered.

‘Ha!’ went Andrew.  ’Yes.  There.  You’re a deuced deal prouder than fifty peers.  You’re an upside-down old despot!’

No sharper retort rising to Old Tom’s lips, he permitted his brother’s abuse of him to pass, declaring that bandying words was not his business, he not being a Parliament man.

‘How about the Major, Nan?  He coming down, too?’

‘Major!’ cried Andrew.  ’Lucky if he keeps his commission.  Coming down?  No.  He’s off to the Continent.’

‘Find plenty of scamps there to keep him company,’ added Tom.  ’So he’s broke—­eh? ha! ha!’

‘Tom,’ said Andrew, seriously, ’I’ll tell you all about it, if you ’ll swear not to split on me, because it would really upset poor Harry so.  She ’d think me such a beastly hypocrite, I couldn’t face her afterwards.’

‘Lose what pluck you have—­eh?’ Tom jerked out his hand, and bade his brother continue.

Compelled to trust in him without a promise, Andrew said:  ’Well, then, after we’d arranged it, I went back to Harry, and begged her to have poor Van at the house told her what I hoped you’d do for him about getting him into the Brewery.  She’s very kind, Tom, ’pon my honour she is.  She was willing, only—­’

‘Only—­eh?’

‘Well, she was so afraid it’d hurt her sisters to see him there.’

Old Tom saw he was in for excellent fun, and wouldn’t spoil it for the world.

‘Yes, Nan?’

’So I went to Caroline.  She was easy enough; and she went to the Countess.’

‘Well, and she—?’