a little shock, and he could only murmur some commonplace of assent.
With men, Piers had plenty of moral courage, but women daunted him.

"I heard a capital idea last night," resumed Arnold Jacks, "from a
man I was dining with--interesting fellow called Hannaford. He
suggested that Ireland should be made into a military and naval
depot--used solely for that purpose. The details of his scheme
were really very ingenious. He didn't propose to exterminate the
natives----"

John Jacks interrupted with hilarity, which his son affected to
resent: the look exchanged by the two making pleasant proof of how
little their natural affection was disturbed by political and other
differences. At the name of Hannaford, Otway had looked keenly
towards the speaker.

"Is that Lee Hannaford?" he asked. "Oh, I know him. In fact, I'm
living in his house just now."

Arnold was interested. He had only the slightest acquaintance with
Hannaford, and would like to hear more of him.

"Not long ago," Piers responded, "he was a teacher of chemistry at
Geneva--I got to know him there. He seems to speak half a dozen
languages in perfection; I believe he was born in Switzerland. His
house down in Surrey is a museum of modern weapons--a regular
armoury. He has invented some new gun."

"So I gathered. And a new explosive, I'm told."