you prove it?"

"Gracious! How are such things proved? Is it necessary for me to prove
it?"

"It would be helpful."

"What am I to do?"

"Give me five dollars," said the judge promptly.

"I haven't five dollars with me."

"Get it, then. I never work for nothing."

The ranging eye of Miss Wayne fell upon a figure in a steamer-chair, all
huddled up behind a widespread newspaper. There was something
suspiciously familiar about the figure. Miss Wayne bore down upon it.
The paper--five days old--trembled. She peered over the top of it.
Behind and below crouched the Tyro pretending to be asleep.

"Good-morning," said Miss Wayne.

A delicate but impressive snore answered her.

"Mr. Daddleskink!"

No answer. But the face of the victim twitched painfully. It is but
human for the bravest martyr to wince under torture.

"Wake up! I know you're not asleep. I _will_ be answered!" She stamped
her small but emphatic foot on the deck. The legs of the Tyro curled up
under as instinctively as those of an assailed spider.

"There! You see! You needn't pretend. Won't you please speak to me?" The
tormentor was having a beautiful time with her revenge.

"Go away," said a hoarse whisper from behind the newspaper.

"I'm in trouble." The voice sounded very childlike in its plea. The Tyro
writhed.

"Even if you don't like me"--the Tyro writhed some more--"and don't
consider me fit to speak to"--the Tyro's contortions were fairly
Laocooenish--"would you--couldn't you lend me five dollars?"

The Tyro blinked rapidly.

"I need it awfully," pursued the malicious maiden.

Desperation marked itself on his brow. He scrambled from his chair,
plunged his hand into his pocket, extracted a bill, transferred it to
her waiting fingers, and hustled for the nearest doorway. He didn't
reach it. The august undulations of Mrs. Charlton Denyse's form
intercepted him.

"This is shameless!" she declared.

For once the abused youth was almost ready to agree with her.

[Illustration: "COULDN'T YOU LEND ME FIVE DOLLARS?"]

"What?" he said weakly.

"Don't quibble with me, sir. I saw, if I did not hear. You passed Miss
Wayne a note. I am astonished!" she said, in the tone of a scandalized
Sunday-School teacher.

The Tyro rapidly reflected that she would have been considerably more
astonished could she have known the nature of the "note." From the tail
of his eye he saw the recipient in close conversation with Judge
Enderby. Remembering