out the advantage of cash registers. Charlie gave
a wonderfully humorous description of his first crossing of the English
Channel. Percy and Claude ate enormously, and Percy was sick, to his
uncle's immense entertainment and profound satisfaction, as it gave him
an excuse to tell the whole story of the Channel crossing over again,
ending up with: "It's all right, Perce. Cheer up, sonny, Dover's in
sight."

Eileen ate self-consciously and gazed with considerable respectfulness
at Miss Lilli Vergoe, who related pleasantly her many triumphs over the
snares and duplicity of the new stage manager at the Orient. Mr. Vergoe
chatted amiably with everybody in turn and made a great feature of
helping the stewed tripe. May went into fits of laughter at everything
and everybody, and Jenny discussed with Edie what style of dress should
be made from the roll of blue serge presented to her by Uncle James.

After supper everybody settled down to make the evening a complete
success.

Mr. Vergoe sang "Champagne Charlie" and "In Her Hair She Wore a White
Camelia," and Mr. Raeburn joined in the chorus of the former with a note
of personal satisfaction, while Mrs. Raeburn always said:

"Champagne Charlie _is_ his name,
Half a pint of porter _is_ his game."

Neither Miss Vergoe nor Miss Vaughan would oblige with a dance, to the
great disappointment of Mr. Smithers, who had hoped for a solution of
many sartorial puzzles from such close proximity to two actresses.
Jenny, however, was set on the table when the plates had been cleared
away, and danced a breakdown to the great embarrassment of Mrs. Purkiss,
who feared for pasty-faced Percy and Claude's sense of the shocking.

Percy recited Casabianca, and Claude, though he did not recite himself,
prompted his brother in so many of the lines that it became, to all
purposes, a duet. Edie giggled in a corner with Mr. Smithers, and told
the latter once or twice that he was a sauce-box and no mistake. Mr.
Smithers himself sang "Queen of My Heart," in a mildly pleasant tenor
voice, and, being encored, sang "Maid of Athens," and told Miss Vergoe,
in confidence, that several persons had passed the remark that he was
very like Lord Byron. To which Miss Vergoe, with great want of
appreciation, replied, "Who cares?" and sent Mr. Smithers headlong back
to the readier admiration of Edie.

It was a very delightful evening, indeed, whose most delightful moment,
perhaps, was Mrs. Purkiss's retir