ng reached a topic on which he considered
himself one of the greatest living authorities--to wit, the unlovable
disposition of his father-in-law--addressed the meeting as one who has a
right to be heard.

"Lucille's absolutely right, old thing.--Absolutely correct-o! Your
esteemed progenitor is a pretty tough nut, and it's no good trying to
get away from it.-And I'm sorry to have to say it, old bird, but, if you
come bounding in with part of the personnel of the ensemble on your arm
and try to dig a father's blessing out of him, he's extremely apt to
stab you in the gizzard."

"I wish," said Bill, annoyed, "you wouldn't talk as though Mabel were
the ordinary kind of chorus-girl. She's only on the stage because her
mother's hard-up and she wants to educate her little brother."

"I say," said Archie, concerned. "Take my tip, old top. In chatting the
matter over with the pater, don't dwell too much on that aspect of
the affair.--I've been watching him closely, and it's about all he
can stick, having to support ME. If you ring in a mother and a little
brother on him, he'll crack under the strain."

"Well, I've got to do something about it. Mabel will be over here in a
week."

"Great Scot! You never told us that."

"Yes. She's going to be in the new Billington show. And, naturally, she
will expect to meet my family. I've told her all about you."

"Did you explain father to her?" asked Lucille.

"Well, I just said she mustn't mind him, as his bark was worse than his
bite."

"Well," said Archie, thoughtfully, "he hasn't bitten me yet, so you may
be right. But you've got to admit that he's a bit of a barker."

Lucille considered.

"Really, Bill, I think your best plan would be to go straight to father
and tell him the whole thing.--You don't want him to hear about it in a
roundabout way."

"The trouble is that, whenever I'm with father, I can't think of
anything to say."

Archie found himself envying his father-in-law this merciful
dispensation of Providence; for, where he himself was concerned, there
had been no lack of eloquence on Bill's part. In the brief period in
which he had known him, Bill had talked all the time and always on
the one topic. As unpromising a subject as the tariff laws was easily
diverted by him into a discussion of the absent Mabel.

"When I'm with father," said Bill, "I sort of lose my nerve, and
yammer."

"Dashed awkward," said Archie, politely. He sat up suddenly. "I say! By
Jove