rs stood before him.

"We shall have to find you something," said the Professor. "Something
in which you can go about--"

The Professor had intended to say "our world," but hesitated, not
feeling positive at the moment to which he himself belonged; Malvina's
or Mrs. Muldoon's. So he made it "the" world instead. Another gesture
conveyed to him that Malvina was entirely in his hands.

"What really have you got on?" asked the Professor. "I mean
underneath. Is it anything possible--for a day or two?"

Now Commander Raffleton, for some reason of his own not at all clear to
Malvina, had forbidden the taking off of the coat. But had said
nothing about undoing it. So by way of response Malvina undid it.

Upon which the Professor, to Malvina's surprise, acted precisely as
Commander Raffleton had done. That is to say, he hastily re-closed the
coat, returning the buttons to their buttonholes.

The fear may have come to Malvina that she was doomed never to be rid
of Commander Raffleton's coat.

"I wonder," mused the Professor, "if anyone in the village--" The
little serving maid flittering among the gooseberry bushes--she was
pretending to be gathering goose-berries--caught the Professor's eye.

"We will consult my chatelaine, Mrs. Muldoon," suggested the Professor.
"I think we shall be able to manage."

The Professor tendered Malvina his arm. With her other hand she
gathered up the skirts of the Commander's coat.

"I think," said the Professor with a sudden inspiration as they passed
through the garden, "I think I shall explain to Mrs. Muldoon that you
have just come straight from a fancy-dress ball."

They found Mrs. Muldoon in the kitchen. A less convincing story than
that by which the Professor sought to account to Mrs. Muldoon for the
how and the why of Malvina it would be impossible to imagine. Mrs.
Muldoon out of sheer kindness appears to have cut him short.

"I'll not be asking ye any questions," said Mrs. Muldoon, "so there'll
be no need for ye to imperil your immortal soul. If ye'll just give a
thought to your own appearance and leave the colleen to me and
Drusilla, we'll make her maybe a bit dacent."

The reference to his own appearance disconcerted the Professor. He had
not anticipated, when hastening into his dressing gown and slippers and
not bothering about his socks, that he was on his way to meet the chief
lady-in-waiting of Queen Harbundia. Demanding that shaving water
should be immedia