He would be
our house guest! The Earl of Brinstead! I fancy that would silence a
few of these serpent tongues that are wagging so venomously to-day!"
"But before his coming," I insisted, "there must be no word of his
arrival. The Honourable George would know the meaning of it, and the
woman, though I suspect now that she is only making a show of him,
might go on to the bitter end. They must suspect nothing."
"I had merely thought of a brief and dignified notice in our press,"
he began, quite wistfully, "but if you think it might defeat our
ends----"
"It must wait until he has come."
"Glorious!" he exclaimed. "It will be even more of a blow to them." He
began to murmur as if reading from a journal, "'His lordship the Earl
of Brinstead is visiting for a few days'--it will surely be as much as
a few days, perhaps a week or more--'is visiting for a few days the C.
Belknap-Jacksons of Boston and Red Gap.'" He seemed to regard the
printed words. "Better still, 'The C. Belknap-Jacksons of Boston and
Red Gap are for a few days entertaining as their honoured house guest
his lordship the Earl of Brinstead----' Yes, that's admirable."
He arose and impulsively clasped my hand. "Ruggles, dear old chap, I
shan't know at all how to repay you.
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