n the hope of escaping my exposure of the way he's been telling
lies."

"Titherington hinted," I said, "that he did it in the hope of
influencing McMeekin's vote. Fees, you know."

"That's worse."

"A great deal worse."

"Funk," said Lalage, "which is what I did suspect him of, is
comparatively honest, but a stratagem of the kind you suggest, is as bad
as felony. I shall certainly have at him for that."

"Titherington will be tremendously pleased if you do."

"I'm not trying to please Tithers. I'm acting in the interests of public
morality."

"Still," I said, "there's no harm in pleasing Tithers incidentally."

"I have a big meeting on to-night. Hilda takes the chair, and I'll
rub it in about Vittie shamming sick. I never heard anything more
disgraceful. Can Tithers be playing the same game, do you think?"

"I don't know," I said. "Hilda will be able to tell us that when she
comes back."

Hilda came back so soon that I think she must have run part of the way
at least. Probably she ran back, when the nurse was not with her.

"He won't send you the key," she said, "but he wants you to send him the
bag."

"Is he shamming?" said Lalage, "or has he really got it?"

"I don't know. I didn't see him."

"If you didn't see him," I said hopefully, "you may be wrong after all
about his wanting the bag. He can't be so selfish."

"Who did you see?" said Lalage.

"Mrs. Titherington," said Hilda. "She----"

"Fancy there being a Mrs. Tithers," said Lalage. "How frightfully funny!
What was she like to look at?"

"Never mind that for the present, Hilda," I said. "Just tell me about
the key."

"She took your message up to him," said Hilda, "and came down again in a
minute looking very red in the face."

"Titherington must have sworn at her," I said. "What a brute that man
is!"

"You'd better take him round the bag at once," said Lalage. "Where is
it?"

"He shan't have the bag," I said. "There are only eight bottles left and
I want them myself."

"Bottles of what?"

"Champagne, of course."

"His or yours?" asked Lalage.

"They were his at first. They're mine now, for he gave them to me, and
I'm going to keep them."

"I don't see what all the fuss is about," said Lalage. "Do you, Hilda? I
suppose you and Tithers can both afford to buy a few more bottles if you
want them."

"You don't understand," I said. "I'm quite ready to give a sovereign
a bottle if necessary, and I'm sure that Titherington would, t