"Whose else, Mum? His lordship don't ride generally nobody's 'orses but his own."
Here was a success! And the fourpenny bit saved! His lordship! "Of course not," said Mrs. Demijohn. "Why should he?"
"Why, indeed, Mum?"
"Lord—; Lord—;—Lord who, is he?"
The groom poked up his hat, and scratched his head, and bethought himself. A servant generally wishes to do what honour he can to his master. This man had no desire to gratify an inquisitive old woman, but he thought it derogatory to his master and to himself to seem to deny their joint name. "'Ampstead!" he said, looking down very serenely on the lady, and then moved on, not wasting another word.
"I knew all along they were something out of the common way," said Mrs. Demijohn as soon as her niece came in.
"You haven't found out who it is, aunt?"
"You've been with Mrs. Duffer, I suppose. You two'd put your heads together for a week, and then would know nothing." It was not till quite the last thing at night that she told her secret. "He was a peer! He was Lord 'Ampstead!"
"A peer!"
"He was Lord 'Ampstead, I tell you," said Mrs. Demijohn.