nts?'

"'That is quite true,' I answered. 'Our home has by no means been so
happy as formerly. When a man is out of spirits, I suppose, he tends to
be brusque and undemonstrative to his wife, and to be easily irritated
by his children. Certainly that has been the case with me of late.'

"'Yes,' he exclaimed, 'and all because you have not carried out my
directions. Men ought to see that they have no right to indulge in not
smoking, if only for the sake of their wives and families. A bachelor
has more excuse, perhaps; but think of the example you set your children
in not making an effort to shake this self-indulgence off. In short,
smoke for the sake of your wife and family, if you won't smoke for the
sake of your health.'"

I think this is pretty nearly the whole of Pettigrew's story, but I may
add that he left the house in depression of spirits, and then infected
Jimmy and the others with the same ailment, so that they should all have
hurried in a cab to the house of Dr. Southwick.

"Honestly," Pettigrew said, "I don't think she believed a word I told
her."

"If she had only been a man," Marriot sighed, "we could have got round
her."

"How?" asked Pettigrew.

"Why, of course," said Marriot, "we could have sent her a tin of the
Arcadia."

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXXII.

MY LAST PIPE.

[Illustration]

The night of my last smoke drew near without any demonstration on my
part or on that of my friends. I noticed that none of them was now
comfortable if left alone with me, and I knew, I cannot tell how, that
though they had too much delicacy to refer in my presence to my coming
happiness, they often talked of it among themselves. They smoked hard
and looked covertly at me, and had an idea that they were helping me.
They also addressed me in a low voice, and took their seats noiselessly,
as if some one were ill in the next room.

"We have a notion," Scrymgeour said, with an effort, on my second night,
"that you would rather we did not feast you to-morrow evening?"

"Oh, I want nothing of that kind," I said.

"So I fancied," Jimmy broke in. "Those things are rather a mockery, but
of course if you thought it would help you in any way----"

"Or if there is anything else we could do for you," interposed Gilray,
"you have only to mention it."

Though they irritated rather than soothed me, I was touched by their
kindly intentions, for at one time I feared my friends would be
sarcastic. The next night