rday," she said. "And here is the post."

"Silence, babbler," said Hamilton. "Before we go any farther, what
about this matter of partnership you were discussing with Patricia?"

The maid distributed the letters. One was addressed:

"Captin Captian Hamilton, D.S.O."

"From Bones," said Hamilton unnecessarily, and Bones's letter claimed
first attention. It was a frantic and an ecstatic epistle, heavily
underlined and exclaimed.

"Dear old old Ham," it ran, "you simply must join me in _magnifficant_
new sceme sheme plan! Wonderfull prophits profets! The most
extraordiny _chance_ for a fortune..."

"For Heaven's sake, what's this?" asked Hamilton, handing the letter
across to his sister and indicating an illegible line. "It looks like
'a bad girl's leg' to me."

"My dear!" said the shocked Mrs. Sanders, and studied the vile
caligraphy. "It certainly does look like that," she admitted, "and----
I see! 'Legacy' is the word."

"A bad girl's legacy is the titel of the play story picture" (Bones
never crossed anything out). "There's a studyo at Tunbridge and two
cameras and a fellow awfully nice fellow who understands it. A pot of
money the story can be improve improved imensely. Come in it dear old
man--_magnifficant_ chance. See me at office eariliest earilest
ealiest possible time.

"Thine in art for art sake,
"BONES."

"From which I gather that Bones is taking a header into the cinema
business," said Sanders. "What do you say, Hamilton?"

Hamilton thought a while.

"I'll see Bones," he said.

He arrived in Town soon after ten, but Bones had been at his office two
hours earlier, for the fever of the new enterprise was upon him, and
his desk was piled high with notes, memoranda, price lists and trade
publications. (Bones, in his fine rage of construction, flew to the
technical journals as young authors fly to the Thesaurus.)

As Hamilton entered the office, Bones glared up.

"A chair," said the young man peremptorily. "No time to be lost, dear
old artist. Time is on the wing, the light is fadin', an' if we want
to put this jolly old country--God bless it!--in the forefront----"

Bones put down his pen and leant back in his chair.

"Ham," he said, "I had a bit of a pow-pow with your sacred and sainted
sister, bless her jolly old heart. That's where the idea arose. Are
you on?"

"I'm on," said Hamilton, and there was a moving scene. Bones shook his
hands and spoke broken English.