evening, and she could not refuse, for I willed
her to come. Needless to say, I did not take her. Her intended married
someone else; hence the first notch in my stick. The second was, as I
said, the Colonel's daughter, now the Lieutenant's wife. I found out her
address, and called when he was on duty. Though she gave me a chilly
reception, I soon had her will under control, and I carried on in public
with her for some days. On her husband's return, his kind friends told
him all about it. He accused her; she retaliated. There was a row, and
now he is in Africa, while she is living again with her father, fretting
her heart out. I was overjoyed at this success, for it enabled me to put
two notches on my stick and, as he is the only man represented, he ought
to feel honoured. As for the others, they are of all classes; some
married women; some Society ladies, who have displeased me at one time
or another."

"What about Marjorie Williamson?" asked Tommy, who was drinking in this
ignoble history of wrong redressed with avid interest. "I heard you had
some fun with her. Tell us about it."

"Oh! that was a great joke. It all came about like this:

"Of course you know that Marjorie was acknowledged to be one of the
prettiest little girls on the stage, and you know how stand-offish she
was where men were concerned. Charley Walkden was fearfully gone on her,
and occupied the same front stall for months. Every night he threw her a
bouquet with a note or present and every night, as regular as clockwork,
were they returned. One night he made himself too conspicuous, so that
Marjorie became annoyed, and that night's bouquet was returned on the
spot, accompanied with a verbal message that even an ardent admirer like
Charley could not misunderstand. I was in the theatre that night and
Wilson, the manager, told me about it. I mentioned it at the Club, and
when old Charley turned up he was chaffed by the others. He was annoyed
when he came in, but this fairly maddened him.

"'I'll lay five to one in hundreds,' he said, 'that there is not a man
here who would be allowed to see her home.' As no one seemed inclined to
take it up, I said, casually, 'I'll book that bet, Sir Charles.' Of
course, the boys were delighted and I suppose I got a bit excited, for I
offered to lay another even five hundred that I would take her to
Brighton within a week. Sir Charles eagerly snapped that up, and when I
left I felt keenly interested in Marjorie, as