t neighbours--only eighteen miles by road
between them. And Irene's father had been her Uncle George's great
friend at Oxford; both at Christ Church! This uncle, who, like his
friend Torrens, had gone into the army, was killed in action at Rangoon,
long before Gwendolen's day.

It all takes so long to tell. The omission of half would shorten the
tale and spare the reader so much. What a very small book the History of
the World would be if all the events were left out!

CHAPTER XIII

BACK IN SAPPS COURT. MICHAEL RAGSTROAR'S SECULARISM. HIS EXTENDED
KNOWLEDGE OF LIFE. YET A GAOL-BIRD PROPER WAS OUTSIDE IT. ONE IN
QUEST OF A WIDOW. THE DEAD BEETLE IN DOLLY'S CAKE. HOW UNCLE MO DID
NOT LIKE THE MAN'S LOOKS. THERE _WAS_ NO WIDOW DAVERILL AND NEITHER
BURR NOR PRICHARD WOULD DO. HOW AUNT M'RIAR HAD BEEN AT CHAPEL. THE
SONS OF LEVI. MICHAEL'S NOBLE LOYALTY TOWARDS OUTLAWS

It was a fine Sunday morning in Sapps Court, and our young friend
Michael Rackstraw was not attending public worship. Not that it was his
custom to do so. Nevertheless, the way he replied to a question by a
chance loiterer into the Court seemed to imply the contrary. The
question was, what the Devil he was doing that for?--and referred to the
fact that he was walking on his hands. His answer was, that it was
because he wasn't at Church. Not that all absentees from religious rites
went about upside down; but that, had he been at Church, the narrow
exclusiveness of its ritual would have kept him right side up.

The speaker's appearance was disreputable, and his manner morose,
sullen, and unconciliatory. Michael, even while still upside down,
fancied he could identify a certain twist in his face that seemed not
unfamiliar; but thought this might be due to his own drawbacks on
correct observation. Upright again, his identification was confirmed and
he knew quite well whose question he was answering by the time he felt
his feet. It was the man he had seen in the clutches of the water-rat at
Hammersmith, when both were capsized into the river six months ago. This
put him on his guard, and he prepared to meet further questions with
evasion or defiance. But he would flavour them with substantial facts.
It would confuse issues and make it more difficult to convict him of
mendacity.

"You don't look an unlikely young beggar," said the man. "What name are
you called?"

Michael thought a moment and settled that it might be im