eye, and refrained from speech.

'I shall go in the first place to Rathray's stable, where I shall hire
one horse, and take him very carefully as far as Richmond Hill. Then I
shall walk him back again, in case he should accidentally burst into a
lather and make Rathray angry. I shall do that to-morrow, for the sake
of air and exercise.'

'Bah!' Dick had barely time to throw up his arm and ward off the cushion
that the disgusted Torpenhow heaved at his head.

'Air and exercise indeed,' said the Nilghai, sitting down heavily on
Dick.

'Let's give him a little of both. Get the bellows, Torp.'

At this point the conference broke up in disorder, because Dick would
not open his mouth till the Nilghai held his nose fast, and there was
some trouble in forcing the nozzle of the bellows between his teeth; and
even when it was there he weakly tried to puff against the force of
the blast, and his cheeks blew up with a great explosion; and the enemy
becoming helpless with laughter he so beat them over the head with a
soft sofa cushion that that became unsewn and distributed its feathers,
and Binkie, interfering in Torpenhow's interests, was bundled into the
half-empty bag and advised to scratch his way out, which he did after
a while, travelling rapidly up and down the floor in the shape of an
agitated green haggis, and when he came out looking for satisfaction,
the three pillars of his world were picking feathers out of their hair.

'A prophet has no honour in his own country,' said Dick, ruefully,
dusting his knees. 'This filthy fluff will never brush off my legs.'

'It was all for your own good,' said the Nilghai. 'Nothing like air and
exercise.'

'All for your good,' said Torpenhow, not in the least with reference to
past clowning. 'It would let you focus things at their proper worth and
prevent your becoming slack in this hothouse of a town. Indeed it would,
old man. I shouldn't have spoken if I hadn't thought so. Only, you make
a joke of everything.'

'Before God I do no such thing,' said Dick, quickly and earnestly. 'You
don't know me if you think that.'

I don't think it,' said the Nilghai.

'How can fellows like ourselves, who know what life and death really
mean, dare to make a joke of anything? I know we pretend it, to save
ourselves from breaking down or going to the other extreme. Can't I see,
old man, how you're always anxious about me, and try to advise me to
make my work better? Do you suppose I don't t