y chapters. . . . This is the second time he
told her: and he has to do it twice more before the end of the book."

'As he waited, scarcely daring to breathe, for
some answer, he could almost smell the perfume
of the orchids which floated from a neighbouring
vase and filled the apartment with its high-class
articles of furniture, the product of many lands.'

"Oh, Palmerston! And you that never had an 'ome of your own, since you
was nine--not even a Scattered one! However did you manage to think of
it all?"

She caught the manuscript from him and peered at it, straining her eyes
in the dark.

"If you could fetch a lamp now?" she suggested.

But the boy stepped close and stood beside her, dominant.

"_You_ know how I came to do it," he said. "Yes--I'm glad you like it.
I'll fetch a lamp. But--"

As she pored over the manuscript, he bent and suddenly planted a great
awkward kiss on the side of her cheek.

Thereupon he fled in quest of the lamp.

CHAPTER XVI

IS IN TWO PARTS.

PART I.

Cai and 'Bias supped together that night, greatly to Mrs Bowldler's
relief. But they exchanged a very few words during the meal, being poor
hands at dissimulation.

The meal, for the third time running, was laid in Cai's parlour, Mrs
Bowldler having delicately elected to ignore the upset caused by the
parrot and to treat yesterday as a _dies non_. 'Bias, if he noted this,
made no comment.

The cloth having been removed, they drew their chairs as usual to front
the fireplace. Cai arose, found a clean church-warden pipe on the
mantelshelf, passed it to 'Bias, and selected one for himself.

"I sent off that letter to-day," he said carelessly.

"Right," said 'Bias; "I sent mine, too."

"Four-thirty post, mine went by."

"So did mine."

"She'll get 'em together, then, first delivery to-morrow."

"Ay."

"That puts us all square. She'll be amused, I shouldn't wonder."

"I didn' try to be amusin' in mine," said 'Bias after a pause, puffing
stolidly.

"No more did I." Cai filled and lit his pipe in silence. His conscience
troubled him a little. "Well," said he, dropping into his arm-chair,
"the matter's settled one way or another, so far as we're consarned.
The letters are in the post, and there's no gettin' them out unless by
Act o' Parliament. I don't mind tellin' you just what I said, if you
think 'twould be fairer-like."

"I'm agreeable."

"You won't take it amiss that I