ed as a man might who, without previous experience of
alcohol, has just drunk a whole bottle of whisky.

Bindle whistled, grinned, then he smacked his leg vigorously.

"My cauliflower, please," said the first man.

"Good afternoon, Joseph," said the new arrival. The voice was not so
good an imitation.

At that moment Smith, Mr. Hearty's right-hand man, thrust his head
through the flap in the floor of the shop that gave access to the
potato-cellar. He caught sight of the trinity of masters. He gave one
frightened glance, ducked his head, and let the flap down with a bang
just as a third "Mr. Hearty" entered. He was followed almost
immediately by a fourth and fifth. Each greeted Bindle with a
"Good-afternoon, Joseph."

Just as the sixth Mr. Hearty entered, Smith pushed up the flap again,
this time a few inches only, and with dilated eyes looked out. The
sight of seven "masters," as he afterwards confessed to Billy Nips,
the errand boy, "shook 'im up crool." Keeping his eyes fixed warily
upon the group of men, each demanding a cauliflower, Smith slowly drew
himself up and out, letting the cellar-flap down with a bang as he
slipped to the back of the shop away from the group. Was he drunk, or
only dreaming?

"I woke up with one brother-in-law, an' now I got seven," cried Bindle
as he walked over and opened the glass-door, with white lace curtains
tied back with blue ribbon, at the back of the shop.

"Martha," he shouted, "Martha, you're wanted!"

An indistinct sound was heard and a minute later Mrs. Hearty appeared,
enormously fat and wheezing painfully.

"That you, Joe?" she panted as she struck her ample bosom with
clenched hand. "My breath! it's that bad to-day." For a moment she
stood blinking in the sunlight.

"See 'em, Martha?" ejaculated Bindle, pointing to Mr. Hearty and the
"alibis." "Seven of 'em. You're a bigamist, sure as eggs, Martha, an'
Millie ain't never goin' to be an orphan."

As she became accustomed to the glare of the sunlight, Mrs. Hearty
looked in a dazed way at the group of "husbands," all gazing in her
direction. Then she suddenly began to shake and wheeze. It took very
little to make Mrs. Hearty laugh, sometimes nothing at all. Now she
sat down suddenly on a sack of potatoes and heaved and shook with
silent laughter.

Suddenly Mr. Hearty became galvanised into action.

"How--how dare you!" he fumed. "Get out of my shop, confound you!"

"'Earty, 'Earty!" protested Bindle, "fancy yo