“Not a bit of it. I was riding with him one day—up hill, so for once we couldn’t gallop, and the old fellow began to do the paternal—bad luck to him!—enquire into my private affairs, and so on. I was shaking in my shoes for fear what he might be asking next, when he suddenly comes out with the question how I got the money to pay my debts. ‘Oh, glory!’ says I, ‘safe this time, at any rate!’ and told him ’twas from my sister. And then there was a sort of earthquake and eruption of Vesuvius all in one, and me lying in little bits at the bottom. ‘Will you tell me,’ says he at the end, precious stern, ‘how y’ever dared face me after sponging on a female to get the means to enter my family?’ ‘And where would I get it,’ says I, plucking up courage for very desperation, ‘only from the woman from whom I’ve had everything since she first took care of me as an infant?’”
“That’s my dear boy!” Eveleen beamed on him. “I wouldn’t ask you to say better than that.”
“He saw it—I’ll grant him that—but he was uncommon stiff with me still. ‘And how much have you paid her back by now?’ he lets out at me all of a sudden. ‘Why, nothing, General!’ says I, astonished. ‘That, at least, we can put right,’ says he. ‘Fifty rupees a month, my fine fellow—and the first month you’re behindhand is your last away from your regiment.’ I swear to you I thought it cheap at the moment! Permit me, ma’am, to tender you payment of the first three months’ instalments.” With a low bow he presented a slip of paper.
“As if I’d touch it, then! But I’ll always be proud——”
“You must touch it, and take it and keep it, if you don’t want me kicked out. Sure I’d lose more than you think——”
“Ah, well, Ambrose will be pleased. ’Twas his money, after all,” languidly. “And will you tell me, Mr Brian Delany”—with sudden animation—“what it is you’d lose if you went back to your regiment? You have not been falling in love, now? Brian!” with tremendous certainty, “you have dared to make love to Lucy Lennox? Oh dear, oh dear! these boys! What will they be doing next?”
“Not guilty, ma’am! Listen to me now. Stewart it is that’s sweet on Miss Lucy, and I playing gooseberry for them time and time again. So there!”
“Well, go on with you. What about yourself?”
“You’ll break my heart laughing at me.” But Eveleen read in the tone that Brian was at least as eager to confess as she was to hear.
“You know I won’t. Tell me, now. It can’t be Sally?”