o her devoted
grandson had ever been thankful to afford.

"Oh, very well," replied Madame. "You will be able to get to bed at
three, Mr. Vivian. Dot that down."

"Thank you," murmured the Prophet, making a minute pencil scratch in the
midst of a bill for butcher's meat.

"During these hours--but you can tell him the rest, Jupiter."

So saying, and with an air of one retiring from business upon a
well-earned competence, Madame Sagittarius lay back in her chair,
settled her bonnet-strings, flicked a crumb from the football of violets
that decorated her left side, and, extending her kid boots towards
the cheerful blaze that came from the fire, fell with a sigh into a
comfortable meditation. Mr. Sagittarius, on the other hand, assumed
a look of rather hectoring authority, and was about to utter what the
Prophet had very little doubt was a command when there came a gentle tap
to the door.

"Come in," said the Prophet.

He thought he had spoken in his ordinary voice. In reality he had merely
uttered a very small whisper. The tap was repeated.

"Louder, sir, louder!" said Mr. Sagittarius, encouragingly.

"Come in!" shrieked the Prophet.

Mr. Ferdinand appeared, looking more like the elderly spinster lady when
confronted with the corporal in the Life Guards than ever.

"If you please, sir, I was to tell you that Lady Enid Thistle is with
Mrs. Merillia taking tea. Mrs. Merillia thought you would wish to know."

Madame Sagittarius took the kid boots from the blaze on hearing this
aristocratic name. Mr. Sagittarius assumed a look of reverence, and
the Prophet realised, more acutely than ever, that even well-born young
women can be inquisitive.

"Very well," he said. "Say I'll--I'll"--he succeeded in making his voice
sound absolutely firm--"I'll come in a moment."

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Ferdinand cast a glance of respectful, but unlimited, horror upon
the Prophet's guests and retired, while the Prophet, calling upon all
his manhood, turned to Mr. Sagittarius.

"I regret more than I can say that I shall be obliged now to obey
my grandmother's summons," he said courteously. "Suppose we defer
this--this pleasant little discussion to some future oc--"

"Impossible, sir!" cried Mr. Sagittarius. "Quite impossible. You must
get to work to-night, and how can you do it without your directions?"

"Oh, I can manage all right," said the Prophet, desperately. "I can give
a guess as to--"

"_Non sunt ad astrae mollibus a terrus