Lumeyer, a densely black bearded man, with cherry lips, had told him all would be well, but his Lordship did not believe it. It might conceivably be possible that presently he would need old Homewood’s help again.
"Doosid bore and beastly nuisance!" he said. "But I’ll have to go, I hate family parties and that kind of thing and Kathleen hasn’t mentioned if there’s a billiard room. Let me see—the fourteenth will be Friday. I’ll leave a telegram with Parsons, the hall porter here, to send on to me the first thing Monday morning, demanding my presence in Town. Kathleen’s done well, doosid well, thanks to me! I don’t like the tone of her letter, though, no, hang me, I don’t like the tone of her letter! Cold and formal, but that’s Kathleen, takes after her mother! Doosid cold and doosid formal, well, well!" He paused. "Whatever happens I’ll be able to say I did the best possible for my daughter. A man’s got to consider his family, I’ve considered mine, no one can say to the contrary!"
It was in the dining room during luncheon time at his Club that his Lordship was holding communion with his own thoughts. He started now at the sight of a tall elderly, white haired, soldierly man who came in, followed by a somewhat younger man—it was the younger man who claimed his Lordship’s attention.
"Who’s that?" he asked himself. "Seen that face before—who the doose is it now? Not a member——"
"Paul, did you see that gentleman come in? Who is he?"
"Yes, yes, I don’t mean the old one, I mean the younger one with him!"
"Don’t know, my Lord, can’t say! I haven’t seen the gentleman before!"
"I—I know that face, hang me if I don’t—wonder who he is?" His Lordship frowned, he adjusted his eyeglass and gazed across to the little table where Sir Andrew Molyneux and his companion were seated.
"Confoundedly annoying to see a fellow’s face and not know who the doose he is!" His Lordship thought. "Hello, Paul, well? Have you found out?"
"Yes, my Lord, I did, I took the liberty of asking Mr. Marsmith. I noticed Mr. Marsmith bow to the gentleman as he came in and I took the liberty——"
"A very important gentleman, Governor of some place as I didn’t catch the name of, my Lord, somewhere in America, I should think or the Indies—I don’t know my Lord, anyhow he is Sir Harold Scarsdale, a very rich——"