"But why 'the job,' anyhow?"
"I must earn my living—honestly if possible," said the Honourable Jim with his wickedest twinkle.
"Also I'd made up my mind a little change of air in Wales would do me good just now, and I'd no friends who happened to be coming to these parts. It was these parts I'd set my heart on.
"The mountain scenery! Can you beat it? And when I saw the advertisement of that old trout upstairs there—I mean that elegant maiden lady with private means and a nice house and a car of her own—I jumped at answering it. The country round about is so romantic. That drew me, Miss Lovelace.... Well, I suppose I must be tooting her home."
He turned to the back entrance.
Then he turned to me once more and launched his most audacious bit of nonsense yet.
He said, softly laughing: "Ah! You know well enough why I'm here. It's to be near you, child."
What a good thing it is that I know exactly how to take this laughing, blarneying, incorrigible Irishman! What a blessing that I am not as poor little Miss Million was, who was utterly taken in by any blatantly insincere compliment that this young—well, I can say no worse than "this young Celt" chose to toss off!
So I just said lightly, "Too flattered!" and hurried away to hand the callers their wraps and umbrellas in the hall.
I'm glad I was in time to witness another rather priceless scene.