"And a very enjoyable scrap," said Bernard, with kindling eyes. "Thanks! I wouldn't have missed it for the world,—the damn' dirty blackguards!"
"Was Mrs. Monck much upset?" asked Sir Reginald. "I have never yet had the pleasure of meeting her."
"She was more upset on my brother's account than her own," Bernard said, giving his visitor a shrewd look. "She thought he had come to harm."
"Ah!" said Sir Reginald, and held his glass up to the light. "And that was not so?"
"No," said Bernard, and closed his lips.
There was a distinct pause before Sir Reginald's eyes left his glass and came down to him. They held a faint whimsical smile.
"We owe your brother a good deal," he said.
"Do we?" said Bernard.
Sir Reginald's smile became more pronounced. "I have been told that it is entirely owing to him—his forethought, secrecy, and intimate knowledge obtained at considerable personal risk—that this business was not of a far more serious nature. I was of course in constant communication with Colonel Mansfield. We knew exactly where the danger lay, and we were prepared for all emergencies."
"Except the one which actually rose," suggested Bernard.