“Well, you are there; I see you; and what next?” said Sophie.  “You, and your valk!  I can tell you things fit for you to know, and you say, valk.  If I valk, I will valk to some purpose.  I do not often valk for nothing when I am told—­valk!” Upon this Sir Hugh rang the bell with some violence.  “I care nothing for your bells, or for your servants, or for your policemen.  I have told you that your sister owe me a great deal of money, and you say—­valk.  I will valk.”  Thereupon the servant came into the room, and Sir Hugh, in an angry voice, desired him to open the front door.  “Yes—­open vide,” said Sophie, who, when anger came upon her, was apt to drop into a mode of speaking English, which she was able to avoid in her cooler moments.  “Sir ’Oo, I am going to valk, and you shall hear of my valking.”

“Am I to take that as a threat?” said he.

“Not a tret at all,” said she; “only a promise.  Ah!  I am good to keep my promises.  Yes, I make a promise.  Your poor wife—­down with the daises; I know all, and she shall hear, too.  That is another promise.  And your brother, the captain.  Oh! here he is, and the little man out of Warwickshire.”  She had got up from her chair, and had moved toward the door with the intention of going, but just as she was passing out into the hall she encountered Archie and Doodles.  Sir Hugh, who had been altogether at a loss to understand what she had meant by the man out of Warwickshire, followed her into the hall, and became more angry than before at finding that his brother had brought a friend to his house at so very inopportune a moment.  The wrath in his face was so plainly expressed that Doodles could perceive it, and wished himself away.  The presence also of the spy was not pleasant to the gallant captain.  Was the wonderful woman ubiquitous, that he should thus encounter her again, and that so soon after all the things that he had spoken of her on this morning?  “How do you do, gentlemen?” said Sophie.  “There is a great many boxes here, and I with my crinoline have not got room.”  Then she shook hands, first with Archie, and then with Doodles, and asked the latter why he was not as yet gone to Warwickshire.  Archie, in almost mortal fear, looked up into his brother’s face.  Had his brother learned the story of that seventy pounds?  Sir Hugh was puzzled beyond measure at finding that the woman knew the two men; but, having still an eye to his lamb chops, was chiefly anxious to get rid of Sophie and Doodles together.

“This is my friend Boodle—­Captain Boodle,” said Archie, trying to put a bold face upon the crisis.  “He has come to see me off.”

“Very kind of him,” said Sir Hugh.  “Just make way for this lady, will you?  I want to get her out of the house if I can.  Your friend seems to know her; perhaps he’ll be good enough to give her his arm.”

“Who—­I ?” said Doodles.  “No, I don’t know her particularly.  I did meet her once before, just once—­in a casual way.”