‘No, no, stupid; more interesting by far!’
‘Mayhap the parson’s daughter, sir?’
‘Wrong again; some one a deuced deal prettier than the parson’s daughter. But there, you can never guess—who but Carrie Shepley that I used to play with long ago in town, in the days when you were courting her maid Patty?’
Phil expected Peter to laugh at this resurrection of his former flirtations; but instead of laughing he stepped forward and laid his hand suddenly on his young master’s arm.
‘For the love of Heaven, sir, do you have naught to do with Miss Carrie Shepley!’ he said.
Phil was surprised beyond measure to see the decorous Peter so startled out of his usual behaviour.
‘Why, Peter, what the dickens is the matter with you?’ he said.
‘This, sir, that there will be trouble betwixt you and the master if so be you takes up with Miss Carrie Shepley. I know not the rights nor the wrongs of the story, but this I knows, that there was a mighty quarrel once betwixt the master and Miss Carrie’s father, Dr. Shepley of Jermyn Street as is.’
‘Oh—ho!’ whistled Phil. ‘And what did the gentlemen fall out upon, Peter?’
‘On a woman, sir,’ said Peter, fidgeting a little uneasily.