im without
waking him?"

Selina nodded, and lifted him into his arms, and so they came to the
Hotel Cecil.

When the cab stopped, the child awoke frightened, and at once began to
struggle. Sir Tancred handed him over to Selina, who soothed him, and
carried him to the lift. As soon as they were in his rooms, Sir
Tancred rang for a waiter, and when he came, bade him bring up bread
and hot milk at once. The child heard the words and said plaintively,
"Mine hungly! Mine hungly!"

"All right, my lamb," said Selina. "You shall have dinner very soon."

When the waiter brought the bread and milk, Selina prepared it, and sat
down at the table with the child on her knee. In a flash his grimy
little hands were in the basin, and he was thrusting the bread and milk
into his mouth with both of them. Selina pushed the bowl out of his
reach, and fed him with a spoon, very slowly, nor did she give him
much. Sir Tancred watched his ravenous eating with a constricted
heart. When she had given him as much as she thought good for him,
Selina put the bowl out of sight. The look of supreme content on his
little face was even more pathetic in its extravagance than his
ravenous hunger. He curled himself up on Selina's lap, surveyed the
room for a while with drowsy eyes, and fell asleep.

Sir Tancred opened the note from Lord Crosland, which he had left
unheeded on the table; it ran:

"DEAR BEAULEIGH:

"I have moved myself and my belongings to 411 and 412, till you have
got things arranged. I'm off to Lord's for the day, but shall dine at
the Cecil. Let us dine together.

"Yours sincerely,

"CROSLAND."

Sir Tancred felt relieved, and grateful for Lord Crosland's
thoughtfulness.

"We shall be able to have these rooms to ourselves," he said to Selina.

"Yes, sir," said Selina. "And he'll want some clothes. When he's had
a little sleep, and I've given him a bath, I'd better go out and get
some."

"No: I'll go now myself," said Sir Tancred. "Then, when he's had his
bath, they'll be ready for him."

He hurried down into a cab, and drove to Swan & Edgar's. There he
bought the finest little vests and petticoat and frocks and socks and
coats they could find him. On his way back with his purchases he
remembered shoes, stopped the cab at the boot-maker's, and bought a
dozen pairs. When he came back to his rooms, followed by two waiters
loaded with parcels, he heard a splashing in the bathroom, and when
they had se