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  Mr Crick uttered a little titter, but said it wouldn't become him to agree, though he was bound to own that Lord Nettlecombe had some rather odd ways. 'He has become quite a recluse, you know, and almost never receives anyone, except Mr Jonas Steane – and not even him at present.' He sighed, and shook his head. 'I regret to say that he and Mr Steane had a difference of opinion a few weeks ago, which resulted in his lordship's going off to Harrowgate, and leaving me with instructions to deal with any matters that might arise during his absence. He stated in – in what I may call unequivocal terms that he did not wish to see Mr Steane, or, in fact, anyone, or to receive any communications whatsoever – even from me!'

  'Good God, he must be short of a sheet!' exclaimed the Viscount.

  'No, no, my lord!' Mr Crick said hastily. 'That is, not if you mean to say that he's deranged, which, I collect, is your meaning! He has a – a somewhat untoward disposition, and has what I venture to say are some rather odd humours, but he is very shrewd – oh, very shrewd indeed! – in all worldly matters! Extremely long-headed, or, as he would say himself, up to all the rigs!' He tittered again, but, as the Viscount remained unre sponsive to this evidence of Lord Nettlecombe's humour, changed the titter into a cough, and said, with a confidential drop of his voice: 'His – his eccentricities derive, I believe, from the unfortunate circumstances of his private life, which has not, alas, been a happy one! It would be improper in me to expatiate on this subject, but I need not scruple to tell your lordship (for it is common knowledge) that his marriage was not attended by that degree of connubial bliss which one has so frequently known to soften a somewhat harsh disposition. And the very unsteady character of his younger son was a source of great pain to him – oh, very great pain! One had hoped that he would find consola tion in Mr Jonas Steane, but, unfortunately, he did not care for Mr Jonas's wife, so that his relationship with Mr Jonas has sometimes been a trifle strained, though there has never been any serious quarrel between them, until – But more I must not say on that head!'

  'My dear sir,' interrupted the Viscount, who had been grow ing perceptibly impatient during this monologue, 'do, pray, let me make it plain to you that I am not concerned with Lord Nettlecombe's marital troubles, or with his quarrels with his sons! All I wish to know is where, in Harrowgate, he is to be found!'

  'Oh dear, oh dear, did I say that he was in Harrowgate?' asked Mr Crick, looking dismayed.

  'You did, so you may just as well give me his exact direction,' said the Viscount. 'That will save me the trouble of enquiring for him at every hotel, inn, or lodging-house in the place, which, I promise you, I shall do, if you persist in withholding his direction!'

  'My lord, I don't know his direction!'

  The Viscount's brows drew together. He said incredulously: 'You don't know it? How is this possible? You have told me that you are wholly in his confidence!'

  'Yes, yes, I am!' averred Mr Crick, apparently on the verge of bursting into tears. 'That is to say, I know why he has chosen to go away, but he would not tell me where he meant to stay, because he said he didn't wish to be troubled with any business while he was away. He did me the honour to say that he was confident I could settle any matter that might come up without referring it to him. May I venture to suggest to your lordship that you should wait until he returns to London – which, according to my information, he will do next month – '

  'Why, certainly!' said the Viscount affably, rising from his chair, and picking up his hat and gloves. 'You may suggest anything you please, Mr Crick! I am sorry you are unable to furnish me with Lord Nettlecombe's direction, and I won't waste any more of your time. Oh, no! pray don't trouble to escort me to the door! I can very well find the way out!'

  But this Mr Crick would by no means permit him to do. He darted across the room to hold open the door for his distinguished visitor, bowing even more deeply than his clerk had done, and followed him down the dusty stairs, begging first his pardon and then his understanding of the delicacy of his own position as the trusted confidant of a noble client. The Viscount reassured him on both heads, but left him looking more harassed than ever. His last words, as Desford was about to mount into his tilbury, were that he hoped nothing he had said had given a wrong impression! Lord Nettlecombe had gone to try what the Harrowgate Chalybeate would do for his gout.

  'Don't tease yourself !' Desford said, over his shoulder. 'I won't disclose to his lordship that it was you who let slip the information that he had gone to Harrowgate!'

  He then took his seat in the tilbury, recovered the reins from Stebbing, and drove off at a brisk trot, saying abruptly: 'Didn't my father go to Harrowgate once – oh, years ago, when he was first troubled by the gout! I was still up at Oxford, I think.'

  Stebbing took a minute or two to answer this, frowning in an effort of memory. Finally he said: 'Yes, my lord, he did. But, according to what I remember, he came home within a sennight, not liking the place. Unless it was Leamington he took against.' His frown deepened, but cleared after another few moments, and he said: 'No, it wasn't Leamington, my lord – though the waters never did him any good. It was Harrowgate right enough. And those waters didn't do him any good neither – not but what there's no saying that they wouldn't have done him good if he'd drunk more than one glass, which tasted so bad it made him sick.'

  The Viscount grinned appreciatively. 'Poor Papa! Who shall blame him for going home? Did he take you there?'

  'Me, my lord?' said Stebbing, shocked. 'Lor', no! In them days I was only one of the under-grooms!'

  'I suppose you must have been. What a pity! I hoped you might know the place, for I don't. Oh, well, we'd best stop at Hatchards, and I'll see if I can come by a guide-book there!'

  'My lord, you're never going to go all that way just to find Miss's grandpa?' exclaimed Stebbing. 'Which – if you'll pardon the liberty! – don't seem to be a grandpa as anyone would be wishful to find!'

  'Very likely not – indeed, almost certainly not! – but I've pledged my word to Miss Steane that I will find him, and – damn it, my blood's up, and I will not be beaten!'

  'But, my lord,' expostulated Stebbing, 'it'll take you four or five days to get there! It's above two hundred miles away: that I do know, for when my lord and her ladyship went there, they were five days on the road, and Mr Rudford, which was his lordship's valet at that time, always held to it that it was that which set up his lordship's back so that he wouldn't have liked the place no matter what!'

  'Good God, you don't imagine, do you, that I mean to go in the family travelling-carriage? What with four people in the carriage, the coachman, and I'll go bail a couple of footmen outside, and a coach following, chuck-full of baggage, besides the rest of my father's retinue, I'm astonished they weren't a sennight on the road! I shall travel in my chaise, of course, taking Tain, and one portmanteau only, and changing horses as often as need be, and I promise you I shan't be more than three days on the road. No, don't pull that long face! If I can post to Doncaster in two days, which you know well I have frequently done, I can certainly reach Harrowgate in three days – possibly less!'

  'Yes, my lord, and possibly more, if you was to have an accident,' said Stebbing. 'Or find yourself with a stumbler in the team, or maybe a limper!'

  'Or founder in a snowdrift,' agreed the Viscount.

  'That,' said Stebbing coldly, 'I didn't say, nor wouldn't, not being such a cabbage-head as to look for snowdrifts at this time o'year. But if you was to drop the high toby, who's to say you won't find yourself foundering in a regular hasty-pudding?'

  'Who indeed? I'll bear it in mind, and take care to stick to the post-road,' promised his lordship.

  Stebbing sniffed, but refrained from further speech.

  Desford was unable to find a guide-book of Harrowgate at Hatchard's shop, but he was offered a fat little volume, which announced itself to be a Guide to All the Watering and Sea-bathing Places, and contained, besides some tasteful Views, numerous maps, town-plans, and itineraries. He bore this off for peru