Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III THE meal at the White Hart was so good that Carstairs had a shrewd suspicion that it had been ordered beforehand by the enterprising Knight. Mr. Pope rose from the table with a sigh, and, throwing the stub of his cigar into the grate, drew an arm-chair on to the hearthrug and surveyed his friends with misty eyes. Then, to Knight's indignation, he drew a large silk handkerchief from his pocket and, placing it over his face, composed himself to slumber. "Is he ill?" inquired Knight. "I don't like his breathing. There's a croupy sound about it that would make me uneasy if I were his mother!" The lips below the handkerchief parted, and then, apparently thinking better of it, shut again with a snap. "Give him half an hour," said Carstairs. "I'd give him five years if I could," said Knight fervently, "but, unfortunately, time won't wait. It's twenty past two now, and Hawker will be at the house at half-past." "Hawker!" repeated Carstairs. "The agent," explained Mr. Knight. "I didn't want you to have to come down twice over this affair, so I wired to him to meet you." "Jack thinks of everything," said Mr. Peplow, turning to Carstairs. "Did he think of your engagement?" said Pope, sitting up suddenly and turning to Mr. Peplow. "I mean, did he contrive it to suit his own ends in any way?" "Certainly not," said Peplow, blushing. "It's— it's a case of mutual esteem. Besides, we are not engaged. We may be in time. It's only a hope with me at present. It's " "Don't tie yourself in knots, Freddie," said Knight kindly. "He's not your father; and there'll be plenty of other people to explain to. Save yourself up for them. All this is sour grapes to Pope. The only time a girl ever smiled at him was when he slipped on a banana skin. Are we all ready, Ca...