Who, your worship?" 'The professional brain-spatterer.'

'I beg your most worshipful worship's worshipful pardon, but I don't quite-'

'You never do quite. The military individual, of course. That's the same thing, isn't it?'

'Certainly, your worship; exactly the same thing.'

'And look here, Spigot: intimate to him in the plainest of terms that I have only a very few minutes to spare. The dinner can be served when ready, and you can sound the gong with more than usual emphasis; and if that has no effect you had better come in at intervals of two minutes to remind me that the dinner's waiting.'

Your wishes shall be scrupulously attended to, your worship.' 'I should think that would be a sufficient hint even to the most pachydermatous of military coxcombs,' soliloquised Mr. Buddlecombe, as Spigot departed on his errand. 'I feel I am quite right in granting this interview. Never throw away a chance, has ever been my motto and the key-stone of my success in life.'

Here the door was opened, and Algernon Warriner was shown in by Spigot. Notwithstanding the indignity he had been subjected to of being kept waiting for fully ten minutes on the doorstep, there was not the slightest evidence of chagrin or impatience about Warriner. He was dressed in evening clothes, and wore an overcoat, one sleeve of which hung down by his side empty. Many months before, in the Crimea, a fragment of shell had struck him on the right forearm, splintering both bones; and it was solely to that glorious combination of youth, pluck, and a good constitution, that he owed the preservation of the limb.

The wound might have healed ere this, but Algernon Warriner, as brave a youngster as ever wore the British uniform, had insisted on coming off the sick-list and taking his turn of duty in the deadly trenches long before he was fit to do so.

Many men who have been cool under an enemy's fire have found that interview with papa in the study' rather too much for their firm nerves. But young Warriner, as well as being dauntless in war, was daring in love, and, though his demeanour was courtesy itself, there was an unmistakable air of self-possession about him. There was one heart, however, in the room which was beating hard enough for his and itself as well, and that was Florence's, as she crouched behind the screen. Had Warriner been conscious of what was on the other side of the screen, his heart too might have accelerated its movement a little.

'I must apologise for intruding at such an unseasonable hour,' he said, with a polite bow.

'Never mind apologies, sir,' said Mr. Buddlecombe, stiffly returning the salutation and fussily motioning his visitor to a seat. I have a very few moments to spare, and, as a saving of time, will dispense with apologies and all other preambles. I have read your letter, and now, sir, I await your explanation of its extraordinary contents.'

'To give you that explanation, sir, is of course the object of my visit,' returned Warriner, with great deliberation, but also extreme politeness. The statement contained in my letter no doubt caused you some surprise. Am I not right in supposing so, sir?'

'I have already implied that it did, and still does, sir. Pray proceed a little quicker, sir.'

Warriner bowed with the great

est courtesy, as if intimating that Mr. Buddlecombe's wishes on this score should be sacredly observed, and proceeded, with rather more deliberation than before,

'It may also have awakened in your mind, and most naturally so, I am bound to admit, some doubt as to whether I could carry out what I have professed myself able to do.'

'It did, sir. But I have given you the benefit of the doubt and granted you a hearing. Pray now give me the benefit of a little more expedition. My time is precious, sir.'

Here the dinner - gong was sounded by Spigot, according to his instructions, with more than usual emphasis.'

'Knowing how much more experience you must possess than I do, sir, in monetary as well as in most other mundane matters, and also having in view the difference in our ages, I feel it is the height of presumption on my part-'

'O dear, O dear, I wonder what the congsomay is congsomaying itself into muttered Mr. Buddlecombe, with a stifled groan, as he rose from his chair and took a turn up and down the room.

-To remind you of the trite old proverb, "More haste, less speed." This is true in most-'

'Mr. Bolitho and Mrs. Buddlecombe are in the drawing-room, your worship, and the dinner's waiting,' said Spigot, throwing

'Very precious indeed, sir,' said Mr. Buddlecombe, as the brazen clangour died away; adding, in the silent depths of his heart, Why, the clear turtle will be congealing in its receptive tureen, and he hasn't even opened his case.'

'Pray excuse my presence at such an inopportune time, sir,' resumed the polite but terribly prolix visitor. 'The importance of the business on hand will, I feel sure, plead in my behalf, especially when I add my own expressions of regret that circumstances should have forced me into obtruding myself-'

'I've told you before, sir,' interrupted Mr. Buddlecombe, with a warmth of tone that brought Florence's little face peeping round the edge of the screen, with considerable alarm portrayed in it, 'I have told you before, sir, that apologies are only a waste of time. Now to the point. You say it is in your power to save me a very large sum of money. Out with it, sir, without any further beating about the bush.'

That's capital; he can't stand the strain much longer,' mentally remarked Warriner, with an internal chuckle.

'There, sir, do you hear that?' said Mr. Buddlecombe, as Spigot closed the door and retired. 'I'll really trouble you for a little more saumon à la Tar- Dear, dear, I mean a little more expedition, sir. Surely you are not so morally blind as to wilfully keep a gentleman from his dinner.'

'Certainly not, sir,' replied Warriner, again courteously inclining his head, and speaking in more measured tones than ever. 'But still you will forgive me, I am sure, if I hint that, weighed with the importance of my business, a dinner should be as mere dust in the balance.'

'Nothing of the sort, sir,' snapped Mr. Buddlecombe, wheeling fiercely round on his visitor. 'I don't agree with you, sir;' and turning on his heel, he muttered with indignation, 'He's never seen me eat a dinner, or he wouldn't go calling it more dust in

the balance, the long-winded young puppy.'

'Well, sir, we will at once proceed to business, then. Will you allow me to consult my note-book for a few moments?'

In reply to this unreasonable and unseasonable request, Mr. Buddlecombe could only wave his hand and give vent to a nondescript noise which may or may not have been the permission solicited. Anyhow, Warriner interpreted it in the former sense; and while he was apparently absorbed in his notes, Mr. Buddlecombe paced up and down the room, venting his sorrow, his indignation, and his impatience in the following disjointed mutterings:

Sooprame de volatile aux troofuls ruined! Filets de pigeon done to rags! Chapong rôtee au Périgord must be rapidly becoming chapong rôtee au kitchen cinder. I shall have a sort of and cinder banquet.'

rag

Here Spigot appeared, and piled up the agony still higher with:

The French cook, your worship, says the sight of his dinner spoiling before his very eye is getting too much for his feelings.'

'O, flesh and blood can stand this no longer said the mayor, in a desperate aside; and then added aloud, 'There, sir, you hear that. You've been quite long enough consulting your note-book. I can't waste another moment over preliminaries. State your case at once.'

'What a lot of playing the old gentleman takes! A salmon is a joke to him,' thought Warriner.

Ten thousand pardons,' he pleaded, with another of his extremely polite bows. Believe me, I feel the delicacy of my position most acutely, and I must really beg to be allowed once to tender my sincerest apol—' 'Bless my soul !' exclaimed Mr.

more

Buddlecombe wildly, 'politeness is all very well-I myself always carry it to an absurd extreme; but we have had enough of it on this occasion, sir. I'm sick of it. For goodness' sake let's have a little plain speaking now.'

'Certainly, sir, I quite admit the justice of your remarks; and you, on your side, will, I am sure, enter into my feelings of embarrassment—'

'No, sir, I can't do anything of the sort.'

'Pray, sir, do not hurry me; it is a subject involving so much-'

'Waste of time, sir !' roared Mr. Buddlecombe, now losing all control over himself. 'O, I see through all this delay and shillyshallying. It is merely the vain expedient to gain time on the part of a-a-of an impostor, sir, an impostor!'

Here Mr. Buddlecombe, red in the face with passion, snapped his fingers at Warriner and pointed indignantly to the door.

'There, sir, there's your way. Be off with you!'

The imperturbable Warriner rose slowly from his seat, bowed low, and moved towards the door. On reaching it, he turned round and quietly said,

'It is in sorrow, sir, rather than in anger or indignation, that I repudiate the charge of imposition. If you cannot enter into my feelings, I can into yours, knowing as I do how strong appearances must be against me. But I can only reiterate, on my word of honour this solemnly placing his hand on his heart-that the matter I had to lay before you would have involved a saving to you of the large sum I mentioned in my letter.'

"The dinner will be utterly spoiled, your worship,' said Spigot, putting his head in at the door.

Mr. Buddlecombe manifested

great emotion; and Warriner continued, in that style of periphrastic politeness which he had adopted all through the interview, for the purpose of spinning out the time :

'I feel that I have already transgressed the limits of politeness beyond all rules of etiquette. Good-evening, sir.'

Poor Mr. Buddlecombe, torn by conflicting emotions, was a pitiable spectacle.

'Good-eve-stay, sir, don'tdear me utterly spoiled! Thirty thousand filets de pigeons sterling. I can't see any other way out of the difficulty. O dear, O dear! Hang it, sir! give me the pleasure' (gulp)' of your company at dinner, and you can impart this piece of information in your own way afterwards.'

'Delighted,' said Warriner pleasantly. Since you're so pressing, I shall have much pleasure.'

'Humph,' grunted Mr. Buddlecombe aside, ""since you're so pressing," as the paving-stone remarked to the steam-roller. Spigot!'

'Your worship,' said Spigot, promptly reappearing from outside. 'Relieve this gentleman of his hat and coat; and, Spigot, lay another place at the table; he will dine here.'

As Mr. Buddlecombe made this

last communication, the situations between master and man were, for the first time in their respective lives, reversed. Spigot fairly stared his master out of countenance, and Mr. Buddlecombe dared not meet the searching gaze of his servant.

'I beg your most worshipful worship's pardon,' at last stammered Spigot; but I don't think I quite heard what your worship was pleased to say.'

'He will dine here; take his hat and coat,' sharply repeated Mr. Buddlecombe.

Like one in a dream, Spigot obeyed the behest ; and then, with a sort of savage politeness, Mr. Buddlecombe bowed his guest out of the room and followed.

As soon as the coast was clear, Florence emerged from behind the screen.

'O Algy, Algy!' she exclaimed, clapping her hands and laughing merrily, 'you clever darling! I love you more than ever now, for your tact and coolness. But what can the scheme be? Algy has given his word of honour, so of course there must be something. O poor darling old papa! Now I must run up, and then go into the drawing-room as if I had just come down from my room.'