id
for her, native stolidity did almost as well for Captain Hunken, who sat
in an arm-chair by the fireplace smoking and watching her--and had been
sitting and watching her for a good half an hour admiringly, without
converse. "Spillikins" is a game during which, though it enjoins
silence on the looker-on, a real expert can playfully challenge a remark
or tolerate one, now and again. Also, you can make astonishing play
with it if you happen to possess a pretty wrist and hand.

I throw in this explanation of "spillikins" to fill up a somewhat long
and painful pause during which Cai and 'Bias without speech slowly
questioned one another. Neither heeded the pretty tactful clatter with
which Mrs Bosenna, after sweeping her ivory toys in a heap and starting
up with a little cry of pleasure, held out her hand to the intruder.
Cai took it as one in a dream. His eyes were fixed on 'Bias, as 'Bias,
who had withdrawn the pipe from his mouth and replaced it, withdrew it
again, and asked--

"Well, an' what brings _you_ here?"

For a moment Cai seemed to be chewing down a cud in his throat.
He ought to have been quicker, he felt. It is always a mistake to let
your adversary (Good Lord! had it come to this?) set up an
interrogatory.

"I might ask you the same question," he responded.

"But you didn'," said 'Bias solidly, crossing his legs and reaching for
a box of matches from the shelf to relight his pipe. "Well?"

"Well, if you must know, I've called to consult Mrs Bosenna on a private
matter of business."

This was a neat enough hint; yet strange to say it missed fire.
'Bias sucked at his pipe without budging, and answered--

"Same here."

"Please be seated, Captain Hocken," said Mrs Bosenna, covering inward
merriment with the demurest of smiles. "You shall tell me your business
later on--that's to say, if there's no pressing hurry about it?"

"There's no _pressin_ hurry," admitted Cai. "It's important, though, in
a way--important to _me_; and any ways more important than smokin' a
pipe an' watchin' you play parlour games."

"That," said 'Bias sententiously, withdrawing his pipe from his lips,
"isn' business, but pleasure."

"You may not believe it, Captain Hocken," protested Mrs Bosenna,
"but 'spillikins' helps me to fix my thoughts. And you ought to feel
flattered, really you ought--"

She laughed now, and archly--"Because, as a fact, I was fixing them on
you at the very moment Dinah showed you in!" Sh