right and glistening splashed upon the paper before her, the
pencil slipped from her fingers, and, with a sudden, choking cry, she
swayed forward, and hid her face in her hands.

CHAPTER XVI

_In which Adam proposes a game_

"To be, or not to be!" Bellew leaned against the mighty hole of "King
Arthur," and stared up at the moon with knitted brows. "That is the
question!--whether I shall brave the slings, and arrows and things,
and--speak tonight, and have done with it--one way or another, or live
on, a while, secure in this uncertainty? To wait? Whether I shall, at
this so early stage, pit all my chances of happiness against the chances
of--losing her, and with her--Small Porges, bless him! and all the
quaint, and lovable beings of this wonderful Arcadia of mine. For, if
her answer be 'No,'--what recourse have I,--what is there left me but to
go wandering forth again, following the wind, and with the gates of
Arcadia shut upon me for ever? 'To be, or not to be,--that is the
question!'"

"Be that you, Mr. Belloo, sir?"

"Even so, Adam. Come sit ye a while, good knave, and gaze upon Dian's
loveliness, and smoke, and let us converse of dead kings."

"Why, kings ain't much in my line, sir,--living or dead uns,--me never
'aving seen any--except a pic'ter,--and that tore, though very life
like. But why I were a lookin' for you was to ax you to back me up,--an'
to--play the game, Mr. Belloo sir."

"Why--as to that, my good Adam,--my gentle Daphnis,--my rugged
Euphemio,--you may rely upon me to the uttermost. Are you in trouble? Is
it counsel you need, or only money? Fill your pipe, and, while you
smoke, confide your cares to me,--put me wise, or, as your French
cousins would say,--make me 'au fait.'"

"Well," began Adam, when his pipe was well alight, "in the first place,
Mr. Belloo sir, I begs to remind you, as Miss Anthea sold her furnitur'
to raise enough money as with what the 'ops will bring, might go to pay
off the mortgage,--for good an' all, sir."

"Yes."

"Well, to-night, sir, Miss Anthea calls me into the parlour to ax,--or
as you might say,--en-quire as to the why, an' likewise the wherefore
of you a buyin' all that furnitur'."

"Did she, Adam?"

"Ah!--'why did 'e do it?' says she--'well, to keep it from bein' took
away, p'raps,' says I--sharp as any gimblet, sir."

"Good!" nodded Bellew.

"Ah!--but it weren't no good, sir," returned Adam, "because she sez as
'ow your 'ome being in America, yo