George's idea was to get home. Quick. There was no possible chanceof a second meeting with Maud that night. They had met and hadbeen whirled asunder. No use to struggle with Fate. Best to give inand hope that another time Fate would be kinder. What George wantednow was to be away from all the gay glitter and the fairylike toutensemble and the galaxy of fair women and brave men, safe in hisown easy-chair, where nothing could happen to him. A nice sense ofduty would no doubt have taken him back to his post in order fullyto earn the sovereign which had been paid to him for his servicesas temporary waiter; but the voice of Duty called to him in vain.
If the British aristocracy desired refreshments let them get themfor themselves--and like it! He was through.
But if George had for the time being done with the Britisharistocracy, the British aristocracy had not done with him. Hardlyhad he reached the hall when he encountered the one member of theorder whom he would most gladly have avoided.
Lord Belpher was not in genial mood. Late hours always made hishead ache, and he was not a dancing man; so that he was by nowfully as weary of the fairylike tout ensemble as was George. But,being the centre and cause of the night's proceedings, he wascompelled to be present to the finish. He was in the position ofcaptains who must be last to leave their ships, and of boys whostand on burning decks whence all but they had fled. He had spentseveral hours shaking hands with total strangers and receiving witha frozen smile their felicitations on the attainment of hismajority, and he could not have been called upon to meet a largerhorde of relations than had surged round him that night if he hadbeen a rabbit. The Belpher connection was wide, straggling overmost of England; and first cousins, second cousins and even thirdand fourth cousins had debouched from practically every county onthe map and marched upon the home of their ancestors. The effort ofhaving to be civil to all of these had told upon Percy. Like theheroine of his sister Maud's favourite poem he was "aweary,aweary," and he wanted a drink. He regarded George's appearance asexceedingly opportune.
"Get me a small bottle of champagne, and bring it to the library.""Yes, sir."The two words sound innocent enough, but, wishing as he did toefface himself and avoid publicity, they were the most unfortunatewhich George could have chosen. If he had merely bowed acquiescenceand departed, it is probable that Lord Belpher would not have takena second look at him. Percy was in no condition to subject everyonehe met to a minute scrutiny. But, when you have been addressed foran entire lifetime as "your lordship", it startles you when awaiter calls you "Sir". Lord Belpher gave George a glance in whichreproof and pain were nicely mingled emotions quickly supplanted byamazement. A gurgle escaped him.
"Stop!" he cried as George turned away.
Percy was rattled. The crisis found him in two minds. On the onehand, he would have been prepared to take oath that this man beforehim was the man who had knocked off his hat in Piccadilly. Thelikeness had struck him like a blow the moment he had taken a goodlook at the fellow. On the other hand, there is nothing which ismore likely to lead one astray than a resemblance. He had neverforgotten the horror and humiliation of the occasion, which hadhappened in his fourteenth year, when a motherly woman atPaddington Station had called him "dearie" and publicly embracedhim, on the erroneous supposition that he was her nephew, Philip.
He must proceed cautiously. A brawl with an innocent waiter, comingon the heels of that infernal episode with the policeman, wouldgive people the impression that assailing the lower orders hadbecome a hobby of his.
"Sir?" said George politely.
His brazen front shook Lord Belpher's confidence.
"I haven't seen you before here, have I?" was all he could findto say.
"No, sir," replied George smoothly. "I am only temporarily attachedto the castle staff.""Where do you come from?""America, sir."Lord Belpher started. "America!""Yes, sir. I am in England on a vacation. My cousin, Albert, ispage boy at the castle, and he told me there were a few vacanciesfor extra help tonight, so I applied and was given the job."Lord Belpher frowned perplexedly. It all sounded entirelyplausible. And, what was satisfactory, the statement could bechecked by application to Keggs, the butler. And yet there was alingering doubt. However, there seemed nothing to be gained bycontinuing the conversation.
"I see," he said at last. "Well, bring that champagne to thelibrary as quick as you can.""Very good, sir."Lord Belpher remained where he stood, brooding. Reason told him heought to be satisfied, but he was not satisfied. It would have beendifferent had he not known that this fellow with whom Maud hadbecome entangled was in the neighbourhood. And if that scoundrelhad had the audacity to come and take a cottage at the castlegates, why not the audacity to invade the castle itself?
The appearance of one of the footmen, on his way through the hallwith a tray, gave him the opportunity for further investigation.
"Send Keggs to me!""Very good, your lordship."An interval and the butler arrived. Unlike Lord Belpher late hourswere no hardship to Keggs. He was essentially a night-bloomingflower. His brow was as free from wrinkles as his shirt-front. Hebore himself with the conscious dignity of one who, while he wouldhave freely admitted he did not actually own the castle, wasnevertheless aware that he was one of its most conspicuousornaments.
"You wished to see me, your lordship?""Yes. Keggs, there are a number of outside men helping heretonight, aren't there?""Indubitably, your lordship. The unprecedented scale of theentertainment necessitated the engagement of a certain number ofsupernumeraries," replied Keggs with an easy fluency which ReggieByng, now cooling his head on the lower terrace, would havebitterly envied. "In the circumstances, such an arrangement wasinevitable.""You engaged all these men yourself?""In a manner of speaking, your lordship, and for all practicalpurposes, yes. Mrs. Digby, the 'ouse-keeper conducted the actualnegotiations in many cases, but the arrangement was in no instanceconsidered complete until I had passed each applicant.""Do you know anything of an American who says he is the cousin ofthe page-boy?""The boy Albert did introduce a nominee whom he stated to be 'iscousin 'ome from New York on a visit and anxious to oblige. I trusthe 'as given no dissatisfaction, your lordship? He seemed arespectable young man.""No, no, not at all. I merely wished to know if you knew him. Onecan't be too careful.""No, indeed, your lordship.""That's all, then.""Thank you, your lordship."Lord Belpher was satisfied. He was also relieved. He felt thatprudence and a steady head had kept him from making himselfridiculous. When George presently returned with the life-savingfluid, he thanked him and turned his thoughts to other things.
But, if the young master was satisfied, Keggs was not. Upon Keggs abright light had shone. There were few men, he flattered himself,who could more readily put two and two together and bring the sumto a correct answer. Keggs knew of the strange American gentlemanwho had taken up his abode at the cottage down by Platt's farm. Hislooks, his habits, and his motives for coming there had formed foodfor discussion throughout one meal in the servant's hall; astranger whose abstention from brush and palette showed him to beno artist being an object of interest. And while the solution putforward by a romantic lady's-maid, a great reader of novelettes,that the young man had come there to cure himself of some unhappypassion by communing with nature, had been scoffed at by thecompany, Keggs had not been so sure that there might not besomething in it. Later events had deepened his suspicion, whichnow, after this interview with Lord Belpher, had become certainty.
The extreme fishiness of Albert's sudden production of a cousinfrom America was so manifest that only his preoccupation at themoment when he met the young man could have prevented him seeing itbefore. His knowledge of Albert told him that, if one so versed asthat youth in ............