an's dress as expeditiously as possible. "If you
had slipped up--if you had been one-half minute late--or if that fellow
had had a chance to make one cry before you covered his mouth--"

"Please, sir--_don't_!" interposed Dollops, with a sort of shiver. "If
anythink had've happened to you, Gov'nor..." Then stopped short and made
a sound as if he were swallowing something, and then grew very, very
still.

Cleek looked at him out of the corner of his eye--moved in spite of
himself--hesitated a moment and then, obeying an impulse, leaned over
and gently tapped him on the shoulder.

"Dollops, shake hands," he said.

"Sir!"

"Shake hands."

"Gawd, Gov'nor! You don't never _mean_ that, sir?"

"Shake hands," said Cleek for the third time. "Do you know, you little
monkey, that you're the only soul in all God's world that could ever
muster up a tear for me? Thank you, my lad--you're a brick!"--then
gripped the grimy hand that was reached out with a sort of awe, wrung it
heartily, patted the astonished boy on the shoulder; and fell to
whistling merrily as he went on with his dressing.

"Sir, you do lick me, you fair do," said Dollops, laughing unsteadily,
and drawing his sleeve across his eyes. "Arfter wot you've been and went
through, a-sittin' there and whistlin' as merry as can be--like as if
life was all beer and skittles, and you hadn't a care in the world."

"I haven't--for the minute, my lad," said Cleek with a laugh of utter
happiness. "Beer and skittles? Lord, it's all roses my boy, roses! I've
had the good luck to accomplish a thing that's going to give me--well,
at least one moment in Paradise--and when a man has a prospect like that
in view..." His voice trailed off; he laughed again; then fell to
whistling once more--noisily, joyously, as if some schoolboy sort of
madness was in his blood to-night--and was still whistling when the
automobile pulled up sharply in front of the Hotel du Louvre.

CHAPTER X

By this time he had concluded the alteration in his toilet which was
necessary to assure his entrance into the hotel without occasioning
comment; and as Dollops had followed suit they readily passed muster,
when they alighted, for an ordinary English gentleman accompanied by an
ordinary English manservant.

"What was the charge at the garage?" inquired Cleek of Dollops just
previously to alighting.

"I dunno wot it runs to in this 'ere rum lingo of francs and sous, sir,"
said Dollops, "but the