e student took him in, and laid
him on the bed. They did not trouble to undress him, they were feeling
tired! They did not see the lady of the house again, and retired
therefore without adieus.

The last card was that of a bachelor stopping at an hotel. They took
their last man, therefore, to that hotel, passed him over to the night
porter, and left him.

To return to the address at which the first delivery was made, what had
happened there was this. Some eight hours previously had said Mr. X. to
Mrs. X.: "I think I told you, my dear, that I had an invitation for this
evening to what, I believe, is called a Kneipe?"

"You did mention something of the sort," replied Mrs. X. "What is a
Kneipe?"

"Well, it's a sort of bachelor party, my dear, where the students meet to
sing and talk and--and smoke, and all that sort of thing, you know."

"Oh, well, I hope you will enjoy yourself!" said Mrs. X., who was a nice
woman and sensible.

"It will be interesting," observed Mr. X. "I have often had a curiosity
to see one. I may," continued Mr. X.,--"I mean it is possible, that I
may be home a little late."

"What do you call late?" asked Mrs. X.

"It is somewhat difficult to say," returned Mr. X. "You see these
students, they are a wild lot, and when they get together--And then, I
believe, a good many toasts are drunk. I don't know how it will affect
me. If I can see an opportunity I shall come away early, that is if I
can do so without giving offence; but if not--"

Said Mrs. X., who, as I remarked before, was a sensible woman: "You had
better get the people here to lend you a latchkey. I shall sleep with
Dolly, and then you won't disturb me whatever time it may be."

"I think that an excellent idea of yours," agreed Mr. X. "I should hate
disturbing you. I shall just come in quietly, and slip into bed."

Some time in the middle of the night, or maybe towards the early morning,
Dolly, who was Mrs. X.'s sister, sat up in bed and listened.

"Jenny," said Dolly, "are you awake?"

"Yes, dear," answered Mrs. X. "It's all right. You go to sleep again."

"But whatever is it?" asked Dolly. "Do you think it's fire?"

"I expect," replied Mrs. X., "that it's Percy. Very possibly he has
stumbled over something in the dark. Don't you worry, dear; you go to
sleep."

But so soon as Dolly had dozed off again, Mrs. X., who was a good wife,
thought she would steal off softly and see to it that Percy was all
right