"Begging your pardon, Sir Richard," says Peter, "but here's a man with a message."
"Oh, devil take your man with a message, Peter!—the game is mine in six moves," says I, bringing up my queen's knight.
"No," says Bentley, "steady up the bishop."
"From Sir John Chester," says Peter, holding the note under my nose.
"Oh! Sir John Chester—check!"
"What in the world can Jack want?" says Bentley, reaching for his wig.
"Check!" says I.
"Why, what can have put him out again?" says Bentley, pointing to the letter—"look at the blots."
Jack is a bad enough hand with the pen at all times, but when in a passion, his writing is always more or less illegible by reason of the numerous blots and smudges; on the present occasion it was very evident that he was more put out than usual.
"Some new villainy of the fellow Raikes, you may depend," says I, breaking the seal.