iffers, "and as sharp as you make
'em. When she's in the dust-bin the others 'ave to stay outside. They
can go in when she's 'ad all she wants."

"I don't think I'll have any more eggs," said Flower, casually. "I'm
eating too much. Bacon'll do by itself."

"Please yourself," said Miss Chiffers, turning from the window. "How's
your foot?"

"Better," said Flower.

"It's swelled more than it was yesterday," she said, with ill-concealed
satisfaction.

"It feels better," said the captain.

"That's 'cos it's goin' dead," said the damsel; "then it'll go black all
up your leg, and then you'll 'ave to 'ave it orf."

Flower grinned comfortably.

"You may larf," said the small girl, severely; "but you won't larf when
you lose it, an' all becos you won't poultice it with tea leaves."

She collected the things together on a tea tray of enormous size, and
holding it tightly pressed to her small waist, watched with anxious eyes
as the heavy articles slowly tobogganed to the other end. A knife fell
outside the door, and the loaf, after a moment's hesitation which
nearly upset the tray, jumped over the edge and bounded downstairs.

Flower knocked the ashes out of his pipe, and slowly refilling it, began
to peruse the morning paper, looking in vain, as he had looked each
morning, for an account of his death.

His reading was interrupted by a loud knock at the street door, and
he threw down the paper to be ready to receive the faithful Fraser.
He heard the door open, and then the violent rushing upstairs of Miss
Chiffers to announce his visitor.

"Somebody to see you, Mr. Norton," she panted, bursting into the room.

"Well, show him up," said Flower.

"All of 'em?" demanded Miss Chiffers.

"Is there more than one?" enquired Flower in a startled voice.

"Three," said Miss Chiffers, nodding; "two gentlemen and a lady."

"Did they say what their names were?" enquired the other, turning very
pale.

Miss Chiffers shook her head, and then stooped to pick up a hairpin.
"One of 'em's called Dick," she said, replacing the pin.

"Tell them I'm not at home," said Flower, hastily, "but that I shall be
back at twelve o'clock, See?"

He produced a shilling, and the small girl, with an appreciative
nod, left the room, and closed the door behind her. Flower, suffering
severely from nervous excitement, heard a discussion in the passage
below, and then sounds of a great multitude coming upstairs and opening
various doors on its wa