“Why, you must ha’ bin talkin’ to him, too, miss!”
“No, James. I’m just guessing. What did you say to him?”
“I didn’t see any harm in tellin’ him that there was no sich thing anywheres in our grounds, an’ Evangeline is sure it isn’t in Mr. Schwartz’s bedroom.”
“Do you think it quite right, James, to go to the Marquis o’ Granby and discuss our affairs with a negro in a public bar?”
“You’ll pardon me, miss, but that ain’t a fair way of puttin’ it. This prince chap an’ the rest of us had a rough an’ tumble on Christmas Eve, an’ I slung him out of the front gate all fair an’ square. It was a perfectly nateral thing to meet ’im afterwards an’ ’ave a friendly chat over a pint.”
“All right. The matter remains between you and me. But I want you to promise that if Prince John, or any other negro, approaches you again, and tries to get information, you will tell me everything at the first opportunity.”
“Of course, miss, I promise that. You can’t think I would go agin the people in Holly Lodge, can you?”
Applause from the stable. Even Rikki joined in with his squeak, though he could hardly make out what Jim was saying. Nevertheless, Minkie had not finished with our unhappy groom yet. I was glad to hear Jim getting it. He grumbles every time he puts fresh sand in my cage.
“Did you arrange to meet him to-day?” she demanded.
“Yes, miss,” he said.