“Don’t get into a miff now! Damme, I was one of your trustees up till a month or so ago!”
“And a devilish bad one too!” retorted Sherry.
“Well, never mind that! Been hearing tales of your doings, my boy. Too deep! Much too deep!”
“That comes mighty well from you, sir!”
“Nothing to do with the case. I’m a single man, for one thing, and for another I’m a gamester. Fact is, you ain’t, Sherry.”
“What?” gasped his lordship, touched on the raw.
Prosper shook his head. “Never met a worse one,” he said. “Your heart’s not in it. Queer thing, when you consider the way my father — However, I’m bound to say your own father was no hand at play. Dare say you take after him. You’re a young fool, boy, because it’s my belief you only go to those rubbishing hells of yours out of — ” He broke off as Jason came into the room, and exclaimed in accents of horror: “Don’t tell me you have that fellow in the house! Damme, you might have warned me, Sherry! I’ve left my drab Benjamin in the hall, and there’s my snuffbox in one pocket, and — ”
“Give it to me!” said Sherry briefly, holding out his hand.
Jason sniffed, and reminded his master that he was keeping his fambles clean until Christmas, when the missus had promised him a tattler as good as Mr Fakenham’s.
“Yes, that’s true enough,” said Sherry. “No need to worry your head about Jason until after Christmas, sir. What the deuce are you doing here, Jason?