tears.

"Bless me!" I cried, "whatever do you mean?"

"Well, sir, you see ever since he's been 'ere, sir, he's been a making
hup to me; leastwise that's what I thought he meant, sir; but this
afternoon bein' my day hout, I went up to Kensington Gardens for a
walk (him a saying as he would be there), and what should I see when
I gets there, but him a walkin' about with half-a-dozen of them
nursemaids in white frocks a followin' of him. Not that I says as it's
altogether his fault; they will run after the military; but it's more
than I can stand, sir, me bein' that proud at 'avin' a soldier for a
sweetheart, and all," and she began to cry again.

[Illustration: THEY WILL RUN AFTER THE MILITARY]

I hardly knew what to do, but suggested that she should not think too
seriously about it, and General Mary Jane, saying she hoped I would
excuse her troubling me in the matter, decided to go to her married
sister at Barnes and spend the rest of her day out there, and talk
the matter over with her. I had a lot of writing to do all the
afternoon, and the time passed so quickly that until the gong sounded
for dinner I did not realize that the Wallypug and his party had not
returned. It was now past seven, and they should have been home hours
since.

I was so anxious about them that I could scarcely eat any dinner, and
as soon as the meal was over I hurried to the livery stables to hear
if they knew anything about the matter.

The first person I encountered when I arrived there was the coachman,
now divested of his fine livery, and busy in the yard.

"Bless you, sir, yes, back hours ago," said he. "I set his Majesty and
the others down at your door about five o'clock, and I did hear them
say something about going down to Hammersmith for a walk."

"To Hammersmith?" I echoed in surprise.

"Yes, sir--they wanted to see the Suspension Bridge and the river
again, so I told them the way to get there. They're all right, sir,
I'll be bound. The Doctor-in-Law is too wide awake for anything to
happen to them while he is with them."

I walked home somewhat easier in my mind now that I knew the party had
returned safely, though still somewhat anxious as to their
whereabouts.

About nine o'clock it began to get quite dark, and I was just setting
out to see if I could find any trace of them when General Mary Jane
returned.

[Illustration: "AND DONKEY RIDES"]

"Oh, sir!" she exclaimed directly she saw me, "what do you think? His