be generous. I'll do this. If you will take the risk of
being accused of burglary by Vespasian, I happen to know there is some
money in the right hand drawer of the table over there. I don't know
how much. Fivepence, perhaps, but you shall have whatever it is."

Renata walked with great dignity across the room and opened the
drawer. A little smile hovered about her lips. She picked up a handful
of gold and silver and sat down by him to count it.

"It looks an awful lot," he remarked anxiously. "Won't you let me off?
Vespasian is always complaining of my extravagance."

"Sh----Sh----" she held up one finger, "ten, eleven, twelve, and two
and six, that's thirteen,--no, fourteen and sixpence."

"Leave me the sixpence," he urged plaintively, but she continued
counting.

"Seven pounds, four shillings and sixpence. Count it yourself,
Aymer."

Aymer counted and gravely pronounced her arithmetic to be correct.

"Thank you, you are a dear." She piled the coins up neatly in little
piles on the table by her side. He told her she had better put it in
her pocket.

"I haven't one," she sighed.

"You will be sure to forget it, and then Vespasian will get it
again."

"Is it likely I would forget seven pounds, four shillings and
sixpence?"

But she did. The children arrived and rioted over Aymer. Master Max
bumped his head and had to be consoled with his uncle's watch, while
Charlotte wandered off on a voyage of exploration alone, and finally
sat on the floor by the window with her fat legs straight out in front
of her, making a doll of one arm by wrapping it up in her dress, and
singing to herself.

"She has quite an idea of time already: listen to her, Aymer."

But Aymer only scoffed at his niece's accomplishments, and then Nevil
came in and went down on his knees to kiss his wife, who was much too
occupied with her son and heir to move for him. For a moment all three
heads were on a level, and it was only when the long Nevil stood up
and Renata was reaching up on tip-toe to put some of the violets in
his coat that Aymer's sense of completeness vanished. Finally the
children were carried off and he was alone again.

"It's a lucky thing for me," he said to himself steadily, "that Nevil
married Renata: he might just as easily have married someone I
couldn't endure."

When Christopher and Mr. Aston returned they found Aymer whistling and
drawing ridiculous caricatures of the family on the back of the
_Times_, and he