ming growth of nose.

"'Ow about my railway fare?"' enquired Lily's owner, recognising
Bindle. "'Oo's goin' to pay it?"

"You're a-goin' to pay it yerself, ole sport, unless you're goin' to
walk." Then eyeing the man critically he added, "A little exercise
might ease yer figure a bit."

Bindle pushed among the throng of disappointed applicants for
employment and deliverers of goods. Fate had been kind to him in
sending him this glorious jest.

"Might 'a been foundin' a colony," he muttered, as he passed from group
to group; "'e ain't forgot nothink: plumbers, bricklayers, vans,
'ousekeepers, dawgs, kids to adopt, 'orses, carpenters, caretakers,
shovers; an' 'e's ordered everythink what ever growed or was made,
_includin'_ beer, enough to keep the Guards drunk for a year. 'Earty's
mad, pore chap. Religion do take some that way."

At first Bindle had been puzzled to account for the throngs of
applicants; but enquiry made things very clear. In every case the
advertisements--and they had appeared in every daily and innumerable
weekly papers--stated the wages, which were unusually high. A vanman
was offered fifty shillings a week, a housekeeper thirty shillings a
week all found; for an errand-boy fifteen shillings a week was
suggested, and ten pounds as a bonus to the parents of the child that
was to be adopted.

The officials at Putney Bridge station were puzzled to account for the
extraordinary increase in the westward-bound traffic on that Saturday
morning; but what particularly surprised them was the stream of dogs
that each train seemed to pour forth.

The run upon dog-tickets at certain East-end stations broke all
records, and three stationmasters had to telephone to headquarters for
a further supply.

Dogs occupied the gangways of every train arriving at Putney Bridge
station between 10 a.m. and 10.40 a.m. Dogs growled, fawned, and
quarrelled.

The stream of dogs, however, was as nothing to the stream of men, women
and boys, and small children for adoption. The station officials and
the bus-men outside wearied of instructing people how to get to Fulham
High Street.

The congestion of traffic in Fulham High Street was felt as far east as
Piccadilly and the Strand, where the police on point duty were at a
loss to account for it. The disorganisation in the tram service was in
evidence equally at Wood Green and Wandsworth.

Certain elements in the crowd, notably the younger and more
light-hearted