he family."

"_All_ of them?" she asked anxiously.

"You are very like certain members of the family I have seen," he said
cautiously. "May I go? I'll send the servant to sit with you----"

Miss Buttermish clutched at him violently with her left hand,
exclaiming, "No, no--don't send anybody yet; I must get out of this
beastly skirt before anyone comes. . . . Look here, you're a very
decent chap and I'm sorry I rotted you--will you play the game when you
go home and hide these beastly clothes before anyone comes? The
blessed thing hooks at the side, see; it's coming undone now; if you'll
just give a pull I can wriggle out without getting up. . . . Oh,
confound . . . I'm Buz, you know, I dressed up on purpose to rot
you . . . but if you _could_ not mention it . . ."

Her head fell back and she nearly fainted again from pain. Eloquent
divested her of her skirt, and with it the last remnant of Miss
Buttermish disappeared--a slim slip of a boy in running shorts, with
bare knees, and a gym-belt lay prone on the sofa, very pale and
shivering.

In absolute silence Eloquent folded the skirt and the coat, and laying
hat and furs on the top, placed them in a neat heap on a chair in the
corner.

He went to his bedroom, fetched the eiderdown off his own bed and
covered the boy with it. As he was tucking in the eiderdown at the
side Buz put out a cold left hand and held him by the coat sleeve,
saying curiously--"Are you in an awful bait? are you going to be really
stuffy about it?"

Eloquent looked straight into the quizzical grey eyes that held his.
The boy's voice belied the eyes, for it was anxious.

"Of course not," he said quite seriously, "I'm only too sorry your
trick should have had such a disastrous conclusion. Who shall I ask
for up at the house, and what shall I do with the things?"

"Oh take them with you--could you? Give 'em to Fusby, and tell him to
put them in their rooms--the furs are granny's. He'll do it and never
say a word; decent old chap, Fusby. I say, I'm awfully sorry to be
such a nuisance. I'm certain I could walk home if you'll let me."

"That you certainly must not do, I'll go at once. Here's the
hand-bell. I'll tell the maid that she is to come if you ring. I
expect my aunt will be in directly--I'll be as quick as I can--cheer
up."

Eloquent bustled about putting the remains of Miss Buttermish tidily
into his suit-case while the grey eyes followed his movements with
amused in