left, and decided it would be a rotten trick not to cluster
about you in your hour of need. I hope you don't mind Ronny and Algy
breezing along too. The fact is, I was in the deuce of a funk--your
jolly old mater always rather paralyses my nerve-centres, you know--so
I roped them in. Met 'em in Piccadilly, groping about for the club,
and conscripted 'em both, they very decently consenting. We all
toddled off and had a pick-me-up at that chemist chappie's at the top
of the Hay-market, and now we're feeling full of beans and buck,
ready for anything. I've explained the whole thing to them, and
they're with you to the death! Collect a gang, dear boy, collect a
gang! That's the motto. There's nothing like it!"

"Nothing!" said Ronny.

"Absolutely nothing!" said Algy.

"We'll just see you through the opening stages," said Freddie, "and
then leg it. We'll keep the conversation general you know."

"Stop it getting into painful channels," said Ronny.

"Steer it clear," said Algy, "of the touchy topic."

"That's the wheeze," said Freddie. "We'll ... Oh, golly! There's the
train coming in now!" His voice quavered, for not even the comforting
presence of his two allies could altogether sustain him in this
ordeal. But he pulled himself together with a manful effort. "Stick
it, old beans!" he said doughtily. "Now is the time for all good men
to come to the aid of the party!"

"We're here!" said Ronny Devereux.

"On the spot!" said Algy Martyn.

III

The boat-train slid into the station. Bells rang, engines blew off
steam, porters shouted, baggage-trucks rattled over the platform. The
train began to give up its contents, now in ones and twos, now in a
steady stream. Most of the travellers seemed limp and exhausted, and
were pale with the pallor that comes of a choppy Channel crossing.
Almost the only exception to the general condition of collapse was the
eagle-faced lady in the brown ulster, who had taken up her stand in
the middle of the platform and was haranguing a subdued little maid in
a voice that cut the gloomy air like a steel knife. Like the other
travellers, she was pale, but she bore up resolutely. No one could
have told from Lady Underhill's demeanour that the solid platform
seemed to heave beneath her feet like a deck.

Derek approached, acutely conscious of Freddie, Ronny, and Algy, who
were skirmishing about his flank.

"Well, mother! So there you are at last!"

"Well, Derek!"

Derek kissed his mot