e round the corner from
Portman Street and pulled up at the door which Barthorpe had just
quitted. From it at once descended an elderly gentleman, short, stout,
and rosy, who bustled up the steps of the Herapath mansion and appeared
to fume and fret until his summons was responded to. When the door was
opened to him he bustled inside at the same rate, rapped out the
inquiry, "Miss Wynne at home?--Miss Wynne at home?" several times
without waiting for a reply, and never ceased in his advance to the door
of the study, into which he precipitated himself panting and blowing, as
if he had run hard all the way from his original starting-point. The
three people standing on the hearthrug turned sharply and two of them
uttered cries which betokened pleasure mixed with relief.

"Mr. Halfpenny!" exclaimed Peggie, almost joyfully. "How good of you to
come!"

"We had only just spoken--were only just speaking of you," remarked Mr.
Tertius. "In fact--yes, Mr. Selwood and I were thinking of going round
to your offices to see if you were in town."

The short, stout, and rosy gentleman who, as soon as he had got well
within the room, began to unswathe his neck from a voluminous white silk
muffler, now completed his task and advancing upon Peggie solemnly
kissed her on both cheeks, held her away from him, looked at her, kissed
her again, and then patted her on the shoulder. This done, he shook
hands solemnly with Mr. Tertius, bowed to Selwood, took off his
spectacles and proceeded to polish them with a highly-coloured bandana
handkerchief which he produced from the tail of his overcoat. This
operation concluded, he restored the spectacles to his nose, sat down,
placed his hands, palm downwards, on his plump knees and solemnly
inspected everybody.

"My dear friends!" he said in a hushed, deep voice. "My dear, good
friends! This dreadful, awful, most afflicting news! I heard it but
three-quarters of an hour ago--at the office, to which I happened
by mere chance, to have come up for the day. I immediately ordered
out our brougham and drove here--to see if I could be of any use.
You will command me, my dear friends, in anything that I can do. Not
professionally, of course. No--in that respect you have Mr. Barthorpe
Herapath. But--otherwise."

Mr. Tertius looked at Peggie.

"I don't know whether we shan't be glad of Mr. Halfpenny's professional
services?" he said. "The truth is, Halfpenny, we were talking of seeing
you professionally w