of asking you to dine at the
club with me, and then we might have gone to see Irving in _Henry
VIII._,--a friend has given me two stalls,--but on second thoughts I can
dispose of those tickets. What I should really like best is to come home
with you, Quentyns, and have the pleasure of another chat with your
wife. I want to hear you both sing too--I seldom heard two voices better
suited to go together. May I invite myself to dinner to-night, Jasper?"

"Oh, certainly," said Jasper, after a moment's awkward hesitation. "I'll
just wire to Hilda, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," said Rivers; "but remember, I am coming to take
pot-luck."

Jasper ran off to the nearest telegraph office.

Rivers saw that his proposal was anything but welcome, but for that very
reason he was determined to carry it out.

An hour later he found himself standing in the pretty drawing room in
Philippa Terrace, talking to the most charming little girl he had ever
had the pleasure of meeting.

Quentyns had run up at once to his room, and Hilda had not yet put in an
appearance, but Judy, who was sitting on a sofa reading "Sylvie and
Bruno," jumped up at once and came forward in her shy but self-possessed
little way to meet her sister's guest.

"How do you do?" she said. "Where would you like to sit?"

"I prefer standing, thank you," said Rivers. He smiled at Judy and held
out his hand. "So you are the young mutineer," he said suddenly.

Judy's big eyes looked up at him in surprise--she was dressed in a green
silk frock, with a broad golden-brown sash round her waist. Her dress
was cut rather low in the neck, and she had several rows of golden-brown
beads round her throat. The quaint dress suited the quaint but earnest
little face.

"What do you mean by calling me such a queer name?" said Judy.

"I am a great friend of your brother-in-law's," said Rivers, now
dropping into a chair and drawing the child toward him, "and he has told
me all about you--you mutinied when Mrs. Quentyns went away--it was very
wrong of you, very wrong indeed."

"You can't judge anything about it," said Judy, the sensitive color
coming into her face; "you are on Jasper's side, so you can't know."

"Of course I'm on Jasper's side, he's an excellent fellow, and a great
friend of mine."

"I don't like him," said Judy; "it isn't to be expected I should."

"Of course not, you wouldn't be a mutineer if you did."

"I wish you wouldn't call me by that horrid name,"