"After that there was a very long pause. Dad was top dog again, and the old Earl was thinking it out. Suddenly he turned to me. He said,—
"'You say my son has a special licence in his pocket?'
"'Yes,' I said.
"'And you have asked him to wait by the roadside for you this afternoon, in case of—contingencies?'
"'Yes.'
"'You must possess great influence over him.'
"'She does,' says Dad, before any one else could speak.
"The old man took not the slightest notice, but went on talking to me.
"'If you married my son you would demand a large sum—'
"'Two hundred thousand quid,' says Dad.
"'You would demand a large sum,' goes on the Earl, acting as if he and I were alone together, 'as a condition of your living apart from him and refraining from molesting him. Would you?'
"The words began
