, and
then join the judge. We shall give you a clear hour, and when we come
back we shall expect to hear that the whole thing is settled."

"I never heard of such an absurd entanglement in my life."

"There is no entanglement about it. It's perfectly simple, plain, and
straightforward. Where's your bicycle?"

Simpkins wavered.

"Perhaps," he said, "I'd better go and explain. It's an infernal
nuisance--"

"I don't quite know what you mean by explaining," said Meldon. "There
seems to me only one thing for you to do, and that is to go at once and
offer to marry Miss King. Where's your bicycle?"

"It's behind the tent; but I must tell the secretary that I'm going.
I'm afraid he'll be angry."

"If that bald-headed man with the white moustache is the secretary,"
said Meldon, "I should say from the way he spoke just now that he'll be
extremely glad. If you tell him the whole story you'll find that he'll
quite agree with me about what your duty is."

"I shan't tell him, and I hope you won't."

"I certainly won't," said Meldon. "I have too high a sense of the
value of time to waste it telling stories to that secretary. Come
along and get your bicycle."

"It's just as well," said Meldon a few minutes later, when he and
Simpkins had mounted their bicycles--"it's just as well that you have
on those white trousers and a cool sort of shirt. We've got to ride
pretty fast, and it wouldn't do for you to arrive in a state of reeking
heat."

"I want you to understand clearly," said Simpkins, "that I'm not going
to do anything more than explain to Miss King that some absurd mistake
has arisen; explain, and apologise."

"If you like to call it explaining, you can. But I strongly recommend
you to do it thoroughly. I may tell you that I have Callaghan posted
behind a tree to watch you, and if you don't offer Miss King proper
tokens of affection, I shall hear of it, and so will the judge. It's
scarcely necessary for me to tell you, Simpkins, that the judge isn't a
man to be trifled with."

"Tokens of affection! Do you mean that I--?"

"I do," said Meldon. "I mean that exactly. And you're to do it as if
you liked it. You very probably will like it, once you've broken the
ice."

For a few minutes they rode on in silence. Then Simpkins spoke again,--

"Do you mean that I should--that I should hold her hand and kiss her?"

"After you've proposed to her," said Meldon, "not before. It would be
what Callaghan