anybody anything."

He had recovered his boyish pride in my ridiculous idiosyncracies, and
was in process of illustrating again to Lola what a "splendid chap"
I was. Poor lad! If he only knew what a treacherous, traitorous,
Machiavelli of a hero he had got. For the moment I suffered from a nasty
crick in the conscience.

"Wouldn't he, Adolphus, you celestial old blackguard?" he laughed. Then
suddenly: "My hat! You two are fond of darkness! It gives me the creeps.
Do you mind, Lola, if I turn on the light?"

He marched in his young way across to the switches and set the room
in the blaze he loved. My crick of the conscience was followed by an
impulse of resentment. He took it for granted that his will was law in
the house. He swaggered around the room with a proprietary air. He threw
in the casual "Lola" as if he owned her. Dale is the most delightful
specimen of the modern youth of my acquaintance. But even Dale, with
all his frank charm of manner, has the modern youth's offhand way with
women. I often wonder how women abide it. But they do, more shame to
them, and suffer more than they realise by their indulgence. When next I
meet Maisie Ellerton I will read her a wholesome lecture, for her soul's
good, on the proper treatment a self-respecting female should apply to
the modern young man.

Dale filled the room with his clear young laugh, and turned on every
light in the place. Lola and I exchanged glances--she had adopted her
usual lazy pantherine attitude in the armchair--and her glance was not
that of a happy woman to whom a longed-for lover had unexpectedly come.
Its real significance I could not divine, but it was more wistful than
merely that of a fellow-conspirator.

"By George!" cried Dale, pulling up a chair by Lola's side, and
stretching out his long, well-trousered legs in front of the fire.
"It's good to come back to civilisation and a Christian language and a
fireside--and other things," he added, squeezing Lola's hand. "If only
it had not been for this horrible news about you, dear old man----"

"Oh, do forget it and give me a little peace!" I cried. "Why have you
come back all of a sudden?"

"The Wymington people wired for me. It seems the committee are divided
between me and Sir Gerald Macnaughton."

"He has strong claims," said I. "He has been Mayor of the place and got
knighted by mistake. He also gives large dinners and wears a beautiful
diamond pin."

"I believe he goes to bed in it. Oh,