‘That wife of his is the salvation of him,’ Rockney said, to account for the Captain’s shrewdness.  ’She manages him cleverly.  He knows the length of his line.  She’s a woman of principle, and barring the marriage, good sense too.  His wife keeps him quiet, or we should be hearing of him.  Forbery ’s a more dangerous man.  There’s no intentional mischief in Con O’Donnell; it’s only effervescence.  I saw his game, and declined to uncork him.  He talks of a niece of his wife’s:  have you ever seen her?—­married to some Servian or Roumanian prince.’

Mattock answered:  ‘Yes.’

‘Is she such a beauty?’

Again Mattock answered:  ‘Yes,’ after affecting thoughtfulness.

‘They seem to marry oddly in that family.’

Mattock let fly a short laugh at the remark, which had the ring of some current phrase.  ‘They do,’ he said.

Next morning Jane Mattock spoke to her brother of her recruit.  He entirely trusted to her discretion; the idea of a young Irish secretary was rather comical, nevertheless.  He had his joke about it, requesting to have a sight of the secretary’s books at the expiry of the week, which was the length of time he granted this ardent volunteer for evaporating and vanishing.

‘If it releases poor Grace for a week, it will be useful to us,’ Jane said.  ’Women are educated so shamefully that we have not yet found one we can rely on as a competent person.  And Mr. O’Donnell—­did you notice him?  I told you I met him a day or two back—­seems willing to be of use.  It cannot hurt him to try.  Grace has too much on her hands.’

‘She has a dozen persons.’

‘They are zealous when they are led.’

‘Beware of letting them suspect that they are led.’

‘They are anxious to help the poor if they can discover how.’

‘Good men, I don’t doubt,’ said John Mattock.  ’Any proposals from curates recently?’

’Not of late.  Captain O’Donnell, the brother of our secretary, is handsomer, but we do not think him so trustworthy.  Did you observe him at all?—­he sat by me.  He has a conspirator’s head.’

‘What is that?’ her brother asked her.

‘Only a notion of mine.’

She was directed to furnish a compendious report of the sayings, doings, and behaviour of the Irish secretary in the evening.

‘If I find him there,’ she said.

Her brother was of opinion that Mr. Patrick O’Donnell would be as good as his word, and might be expected to appear there while the novelty lasted.

CHAPTER XV

THE MATTOCK FAMILY