She caught sight of Alaric and smiled at him. He creased his face into a sickly imitation of a smile and murmured:
"Well, of course, I mean to say!" with which clear and well-defined expression of opinion, he stopped.
"I could have forgiven you, Alaric," said Peg, "but Mr. Hawkes, I'm ashamed of ye."
"It was surely a little irregular, Hawkes," suggested Jerry.
"I hardly agree with you, Sir Gerald. There can be nothing irregular in a simple statement of affection."
"Affection is it?" cried Peg.
"Certainly. We are both alone in the world. Miss O'Connell seemed to be unhappy: the late Mr. Kingsnorth desired that she should be trained—it seemed to me be an admirable solution of the whole difficulty."
Peg laughed openly and turning to Jerry, said "He calls himself a 'solution.' Misther Hawkes—go on with ye—I am ashamed of ye."
"Well, there is no harm done," replied Mr. Hawkes, endeavouring to regain his lost dignity.
"No!" retorted Peg. "It didn't go through, did it?"