, looking confused.

"There is. And I wish you would give me one thing more for which to
thank you," said Lionel, taking her hand. Her eyes dropped. She blushed,
but did not free herself.

"And that is----?" she murmured.

"It would be a great happiness to see you and your sister reconciled."

She wrenched her hand away.

"Do not ask me that again," she replied, seeming both disappointed and
pettish. "I have given you my answer already. Now, please, will you be
kind enough to tell the prisoner I wish to see him. He can stop work and
change. I will wait for him in my sitting-room up-stairs."

Lionel went in search of Tony. He found the latter pocketing his pipe,
preparatory to a fresh attack upon the mound of earth. "Miss Arkwright
says you can stop," said Lionel genially. "You may go and get clean; she
wishes to see you."

"What about my work?" objected Tony. "You know, old friend--forgive me,
but I seem to have known you for years--I am making quite a good job of
that bed. _Exegi monumentum aere perennius!_ What? That's about all I
have left of a thousand-pound education. What I mean to say is that
future generations may come and look at my flower bed as being the
beau-ideal--the standard--the Super-bed, and so forth. Honestly, I'm
beginning to be quite proud of the little chap--it's a most promising
child. I say, between old schoolmates and that sort of jolly palaver,
what does she want me for?"

"Haven't a notion, friend of my youth," said Lionel sympathetically.
Knowing nothing of Tony, he felt nevertheless an attraction and a mutual
bond. "You'd better do as she tells you."

The bed-builder arose.

"Of course. I say, do you think she'll let me stay here for a bit
longer? What I mean is, has she any intention of carting me at once?"

"I haven't a notion."

"You see ... here's the bed ... some one must finish it. I should hate
to think of another artist putting in his oar. The bed, in short,
worries me."

"Ask her to take you on as gardener," suggested Lionel, smiling at the
absurd creature.

"I wonder...." Tony moved off with dragging dissatisfied steps. After
progressing a few yards he turned. There was hesitation in his voice and
manner.

"I--I say, oh, companion of my infancy, I wonder if you'd mind me asking
you a question? Of course, we've not been introduced and all that, and I
hope you'll not regard it as a liberty, faux pas, double entendre, or
what-not. But do you mind telling me if you'