hypocrite enough to pretend anything more.

Whereupon he walked defiantly forth and opened the drawing-room door,
this time without knocking.

"Mr Jeffreys," said Mrs Rimbolt, feeling that the present was an
"occasion," and worked up accordingly, "I have sent for you, as I have
no doubt you will wish to express to Mrs Scarfe the feelings you
entertain with regard to her son's brave conduct on the ice to-day."

"Hear, hear, ma!" cried the irreverent Percy, with mock-heroic applause.
"I beg leave to second that."

"Percy, be silent, sir! Louisa, my dear, this is Mr Jeffreys, whose
life your son saved."

Mrs Scarfe put up her glasses and inclined her head languidly in
response to Jeffreys' stiff bow.

An awkward silence ensued--so awkward that Percy began to whistle. Mrs
Rimbolt having made a wrong start, had not the tact to mend matters.

"Mrs Scarfe would be interested to hear, Mr Jeffreys," said she, after
a minute or two, "your impressions of the accident."

"The only impression I had," said Jeffreys solemnly--and he too was
worked up, and the master of his nervousness--"was that the water was
very cold."

Percy greeted this with a boisterous laugh, which his mother instantly
rebuked.

"Surely, Mr Jeffreys," said she severely, "this is hardly an occasion
for a joke."

"It was no joke," replied he with dismal emphasis.

Again Percy enjoyed the sport.

"I should rather think it wasn't by the looks of you when you were
fished out!" said he; "you were as blue as salmon!"

"Percy, cease your vulgar talk in this room, please!" said Mrs Rimbolt,
whose equanimity was beginning to evaporate. "Mr Jeffreys, as we are
not likely to be amused by your levity--"

"Excuse me, madam, I am quite serious," said Jeffreys, on whom the
apparent jocularity of his last remark had suddenly dawned; "I had no
intention of being rude, or treating your question as a joke."

"Then," said Mrs Rimbolt, slightly appeased in the prospect of gaining
her object, "when I tell you Mrs Scarfe is kind enough to desire to
hear about the accident from your own lips, perhaps your good manners
will permit you to tell her about it."

"Get upon the chair and give us a speech, Jeff," said the irrepressible
Percy; "that's what ma wants."

Jeffreys proceeded to give his version of the affair, distributing the
credit of his rescue in the order in which he considered it to be due,
and greatly disappointing both Mrs Rimbolt and her guest by his