Annesley could not help admiring his pluck, for he had said that the arrival of these men meant danger. She ought to be sorry as well as frightened because they had come, but at that moment she was neither. Her companion's example was contagious. Her spirits rose. And the thought flashed through her head, "This adventure won't end here!" If she had had time she would have been ashamed of her gladness; but there was no time. Smith was talking again in a suppressed yet cheerful tone.
"You won't forget that we're Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Smith?"
"No—no. I sha'n't forget."
"You may have to call me Nelson, and I—to call you Annesley. It's a pretty name, odd for a woman to have. How did you get it?"
"Oh, you don't want to hear that now!"
"Why not?—unless you'd rather not tell me. We can't do anything more till the blow falls, except enjoy ourselves and go on with our dinner. How did you come to be Annesley?"
"It was part of my mother's maiden name. She was an Annesley-Seton."
"There's a Lord Annesley-Seton, isn't there?"
"Yes."
"Related to you?"