ment room!" exclaimed Marjorie, pointing to a hole
in the wall, on the ledge of which were displayed a few doubtful-looking
articles.

"Shall I join you in a little light repast?" said an insinuating voice
behind them, and turning around, they beheld the Dodo smoothing his
glove and smirking ingratiatingly.

Dick felt in his pocket, and was delighted to find that he had a
two-shilling-piece tucked away in a corner.

"Yes, we might as well have something," he said, generously. "I wonder
who attends to this department? There doesn't seem to be anybody about."

He knocked at the wall with his two-shilling-piece, and, suddenly, an
elderly lady, with a very sharp face and a shrill voice, popped her head
up and exclaimed, "Well! what do _you_ want?"

Dick was startled by her sudden appearance, and stammered a little.

"Er--er--a----" he began.

"A glass bun and a bath of milk, please," prompted the Dodo.

"No; he means a bath bun and a glass of milk," laughed Marjorie, smiling
up at the lady's face.

There was no smile in response, however, and she replied, crossly, "Why
doesn't he say what he means, then? We've no bath buns, and no milk,"
she went on. "There's a currant bun, a box of chocolates, and a bottle
of gingerbeer. You can take them or leave them, whichever you like."

"Er--how much is the bun, please?" inquired Dick.

"Shilling," snapped the waitress.

"Dear me! that's rather expensive, isn't it?" said Dick, regarding his
two-shilling-piece ruefully. "And I'm afraid it looks a little stale,
too."

"Well, I never!" said the waitress, tossing her head scornfully, and
shaking back her little corkscrew curls. "What next, I wonder? That bun
has been here on and off for seventeen years, and I never had a
complaint about it before. Stale, indeed!" And she sniffed scornfully.

"Perhaps we had better try the chocolate," suggested Marjorie. "Can you
tell us, please, how many pieces there are in the box?" she asked.

"No, I can't!" was the ungracious reply. "It's half-a-crown," she added.

That, of course, put it out of the question, and as the gingerbeer
bottle turned out to be empty, the contents having evaporated some years
since, the children were obliged to turn, somewhat disconsolately, away
from the "refreshment room," and as they left they heard the waitress
complaining, crossly--

"I can't think what people want to come bothering for refreshments for,
when I am busy reading; some folks have _no_ co