brain a sense of injury, in
that he had been ousted from his point of vantage. As an object of
redress the Tyro struck him as eminently suitable. From Mrs. Denyse he
had heard the story of the pushing young "haberdasher," and his
suspicions identified the newcomer.

"Say, Miss Cecily," he said, "why 'n't you interdoose your friend to
us?" In defense of the Sperry accent, I may adduce that, by virtue of
his wealth and position he had felt at liberty to dispense with the
lesser advantages of education and culture; therefore he talked the
language of Broadway.

"What? To all of you?" she said lazily. "Oh, it would take much too
long."

"Well, to me, anyway," insisted the rather thinly gilded youth. "I bin
hearin' about him."

"Very well: Mr. Sperry, Mr. Daddleskink."

She pronounced the abominable syllables quite composedly. But upon Mr.
Sperry they produced an immediate effect.

"Wha-at!" he cried with a broad grin. "What's the name?"

"Daddleskink," explained the Tyro mildly. "An umlaut over the K, and the
final Z silent as in 'buzz.'"

"Daddleskink," repeated the other. "Daddle--Haw! haw! haw!!"

"Cut it, Diddy!" admonished young Journay, giving him a surreptitious
dig in the ribs. "Your work is coarse."

Temporarily the trouble-seeker subsided, but presently above the
conversation, which had again become general, his cackling voice was
heard inquiring from Judge Enderby:--

"Say, Judge, how do you catch a diddleskink? Haw--haw--haw!"

This was rather further than the Empress intended that reprisals for
_lese-majeste_ should go. Still, she was curious to see how her strange
acquaintance would bear himself under the test. She watched him from the
corner of an observant eye. Would he be disconcerted by the brusqueness
of the attack? Would he lose his temper? Would he cheapen himself to
answer in kind? What _would_ he do or say?

Habituation to a rough, quick-action life had taught the Tyro to keep
his wits, his temper, and his speech. No sign indicated that he had
heard the offensive query. He stood quietly at ease, listening to some
comments of Lord Guenn on the European situation. Judge Enderby,
however, looked the questioner up and down with a disparaging regard and
snorted briefly. Feeling himself successful thus far, Sperry turned from
a flank to a direct onset.

"Know Mrs. Denyse, Mr. Gazink?" he asked.

"I've met her."

"How? When you were peddlin' neckties and suspenders?"

"No," said the T