ggs and toast, and jam and marmalade. So I dressed for the
lecture, which was to begin at eight--just when people ought to be
dining--and came down into the drawing-room. The elder Mr. Warren was
sitting alone, reading the _Daily News_, and he rose with an air of happy
solemnity and shook hands again.

'"You can let James alone now, Miss Martin," he said, and he winked
again, rubbed his hands, and grinned all over his expansive face.

'"Let James alone!" I said.

'"Yes; don't go upsetting the lad--he's not used to young ladies like
you. You leave James to himself. James will do very well. I have a
little surprise for James."

'He certainly had a considerable surprise for me, but I merely asked if
it was James's birthday, which it was not.

'Luckily James entered. All his gloom was gone, thanks to me, and he was
remarkably smiling and particularly attentive to myself. Mr. Warren
seemed perplexed.

'"James, have you heard any good news?" he asked. "You seem very gay all
of a sudden."

'James caught my eye.

'"No, father," he said. "What news do you mean? Anything in business? A
large order from Sarawak?"

'Mr. Warren was silent, but presently took me into a corner on the
pretence of showing me some horrible _objet d'art_--a treacly bronze.

'"I say," he said, "you must have made great play in the cab coming from
the station. James looks a new man. I never would have guessed him to
be so fickle. But, mind you, no more of it! Let James be--he will do
very well."

'How was James to do very well? Why were my fascinations not to be
exercised, as per contract? I began to suspect the worst, and I was
thinking of nothing else while we drove to the premises of the Bulcester
Literary Society. Could Jane have drowned herself out of the way, or
taken smallpox, which might ruin her charms? Well, I had not a large
audience, on account of fear of infection, I suppose, and all the people
present wore the red badge, like Mr. Warren, only he wore one on each
arm. This somewhat amazed me, but as I had never spoken in public before
I was rather in a flutter. However, I conquered my girlish shyness, and
if the audience was not large it was enthusiastic. When I came to the
peroration about wishing them all happy endings and real beginnings of
true life, don't you know, the audience actually rose at me, and cheered
like anything. Then someone proposed, "Three cheers for young Warren,"
and they gave them like