.
Remember, I'm dropsical and nobody can tell what may happen. By the
way, where did you say this prince man is?"

"Ah, I didn't say," St. George had answered quietly. "If you'll
forgive me, I don't think I shall say."

"Oh, you don't," ejaculated Chillingworth. "Well, you please be
around at eight o'clock in the morning."

St. George watched him walking sidewise down the aisle as he always
walked when he was excited. Chillingworth was a good sort at heart,
too; but given, as the bishop had once said of some one else, to
spending right royally a deal of sagacity under the obvious
impression that this is the only wisdom.

At his desk next morning Chillingworth gave to St. George a note
from Amory, who had been at Long Branch with _The Aloha_ when the
letter was posted and was coming up that noon to put ashore
Bennietod.

"May Cawthorne have his day off to-morrow and go with me?" the
letter ended. "I'll call up at noon to find out."

"Yah!" growled Chillingworth, "it's breaking up the whole staff,
that's what it's doin'. You'll all want cut-glass typewriters next."

"If I should sail to-day," observed St. George, quite as if he were
boarding a Sound steamer, "I'd like to take on at least two men. And
I'd like Amory and Cawthorne. You could hardly go yourself, could
you, Mr. Chillingworth?"

"No, I couldn't," growled Chillingworth, "I've got to keep my tastes
down. And I've got to save up to buy kid gloves for the staff. Look
here--" he added, and hesitated.

"Yes?" St. George complied in some surprise.

"Bennietod's half sick anyway," said Chillingworth, "he's thin as
water, and if you would care--"

"By all means then," St. George assented heartily, "I would care
immensely. Bennietod sick is like somebody else healthy. Will you
mind getting Amory on the wire when he calls up, and tell him to
show up without fail at my place at noon to-day? And to wait there
for me."

Little Cawthorne, with a pair of shears quite a yard long, was
sitting at his desk clipping jokes for the fiction page. He was
humming a weary little tune to the effect that "Billy Enny took a
penny but now he hadn't many--Lookie They!" with which he whiled
away the hours of his gravest toil, coming out strongly on the
"Lookie They!" until Benfy on the floor above pounded for quiet
which he never got.

"Cawthorne," said St. George, "it may be that I'm leaving to-night
on the yacht for an island out in the southeast. And the chief says
tha