you please. Naturally,
the dog lodged a protest."

"I'm so afraid that he will be frightened of Bob. He will be very
timid, and Bob's so exceedingly boisterous. Isn't he, Mr. Garnet?"

I owned that Bob's manner was not that of a Vere de Vere.

"That's all right," said Ukridge; "Bob won't hurt him, unless he tries
to steal his bone. In that case we will have Edwin made into a rug."

"Stanley doesn't like Edwin," said Mrs. Ukridge plaintively.

* * * * *

Edwin arrived early in the afternoon, and was shut into the kitchen.
He struck me as a handsome cat, but nervous. He had an excited eye.

The Derricks followed two hours later. Mr. Chase was not of the party.

"Tom had to go to London," explained the professor, "or he would have
been delighted to come. It was a disappointment to the boy, for he
wanted to see the farm."

"He must come some other time," said Ukridge. "We invite inspection.
Look here," he broke off suddenly--we were nearing the fowl run now,
Mrs. Ukridge walking in front with Phyllis Derrick--"were you ever at
Bristol?"

"Never, sir," said the professor.

"Because I knew just such another fat little buffer there a few years
ago. Gay old bird, he was. He--"

"This is the fowl run, professor," I broke in, with a moist, tingling
feeling across my forehead and up my spine. I saw the professor
stiffen as he walked, while his face deepened in color. Ukridge's
breezy way of expressing himself is apt to electrify the stranger.

"You will notice the able way--ha, ha!--in which the wire netting is
arranged," I continued feverishly. "Took some doing, that. By Jove!
yes. It was hot work. Nice lot of fowls, aren't they? Rather a mixed
lot, of course. Ha, ha! That's the dealer's fault, though. We are
getting quite a number of eggs now. Hens wouldn't lay at first.
Couldn't make them."

I babbled on till from the corner of my eye I saw the flush fade from
the professor's face and his back gradually relax its pokerlike
attitude. The situation was saved for the moment, but there was no
knowing what further excesses Ukridge might indulge in. I managed to
draw him aside as we went through the fowl run, and expostulated.

"For goodness' sake, be careful," I whispered. "You've no notion how
touchy the professor is."

"But _I_ said nothing," he replied, amazed.

"Hang it, you know, nobody likes to be called a fat little buffer to
his face."

"What else could I call him? Nobod