“‘Assurement, mademoiselle,’ replied Horry, in his cursed French; and perhaps you know him.  He would gladden the heart of Frederick of Prussia, for he stands six and three if an inch.  I took such a fancy to the lad that I invited him to sup with me, and he gave me back a message fit for Mr. Wilkes to send to his Majesty, as haughty as you choose, that if I desired him I must have his friend in the bargain.  You Americans are the very devil for independence, Miss Manners!  ’Ods fish, I liked his spirit so much I had his friend, Captain something or other—­’and there he stopped, caught by Miss Manners’s appearance, for she was very white.

“‘The name is Richard Carvel!’ she cried.

“‘I’ll lay a thousand it was!’ I shouted, rising in my chair.  And the company stared, and Lady Pembroke vowed I had gone mad.

“‘Bless me, bless me, here’s a romance for certain!’ cried Horry; ’it throws my “Castle of Otranto” in the shade’ ("that’s some damned book he has written,” Comyn interjected).

“You may not believe me, Richard, when I say that Miss Dolly ate but little after that, and her colour came and went like the red of a stormy sunset at sea.  ‘Here’s this dog Richard come to spill all our chances,’ I swore to myself.  The company had been prodigiously entertained by the tale, and clamoured for more, and when Horry had done I told how you had fought me at Annapolis, and had saved my life.  But Miss Manners sat very still, biting her lip, and I knew she was sadly vexed that you had not gone to her in Arlington Street.  For a woman will reason thus,” said his Lordship, winking wisely.  “But I more than suspected something to have happened, so I asked Horry to send his fellow Favre over to the Star and Garter to see if you were there, tho’ I was of three minds to let you go to the devil.  You should have seen her face when he came back to say that you had been for three weeks in a Castle Yard sponging-house!  Then Horry said he would lend me his coach, and when it was brought around Miss Manners took our breaths by walking downstairs and into it, nor would she listen to a word of the objections cried by my Lady Pembroke and the rest.  You must know there is no stopping the beauty when she has made her mind.  And while they were all chattering on the steps I jumped in, and off we drove, and you will be the most talked-of man in London to-morrow.  I give you Miss Manners!” cried his Lordship, as he ended.

We all stood to the toast, I with my blood a-tingle and my brain awhirl, so that I scarce knew what I did.

CHAPTER XXVII

IN WHICH I AM SORE TEMPTED

“Who the devil is this John Paul, and what is to become of him?” asked Comyn, as I escorted him downstairs to a chair.  “You must give him two hundred pounds, or a thousand, if you like, and let him get out.  He can’t be coming to the clubs with you.”

And he pulled me into the coffee room after him.