the Prophet, who began to feel very nervous.

"There's something round his head," she remarked, with her usual almost
sacred earnestness.

The Prophet mechanically put up his hands, like a man anxious to
interfere with the assiduous attentions of a swarm of bees.

"Something right round his head."

"Is it a halo?" asked Miss Minerva.

"Is it a Lincoln & Bennet, mother?" cried Mr. Moses. "One of the shiny
ones--twenty-one bob, and twenty-five-and-six if you want a kid lining?"

"No; it's like some sort of bird."

"'I heard the owl beneath my eaves complaining,'" chirped Mr. Moses,
taking two or three high notes in a delicate tenor voice. "'I looked
forth--great Scot! How it was raining!' Is it an owl, mother? Ask it to
screech to Briskin."

"It is no owl," said Eureka to the Prophet. "It is a sparrow--your
bird."

"Is it upon the housetop, mother, having a spree all on its little
alone?"

"No; it is hovering over the gentleman."

"What does that mean?" said the Prophet, anxiously.

But at this point Eureka suddenly seemed to lose interest in the matter.
"Oh, you're all right," she said carelessly. "I'm tired. I should like a
wafer."

"Mother's peckish. Mother, I see an ostrich by your left elbow. That's a
sign that you're so peckish you could swallow anything. Waiter!"

"Sir!"

"This lady's so peckish she could eat anything. Bring her some tin-tacks
and a wafer. Stop a sec. Another brandy for Briskin. Your calves'd do
for the front row; 'pon my word, they would. Trot, boy, trot!"

"I must speak to you alone for one moment," whispered the Prophet to
Miss Minerva, under cover of the quips of Mr. Moses. "Sir Tiglath's
coming!"

Miss Minerva started.

"Sir Tig--" she exclaimed and put her finger to her lips just in time to
stop the "lath" from coming out. "Mr. Moses, I'm going to the buffet for
a moment with Mr. Vivian. Eureka, darling, do eat something substantial!
All this second sight takes it out of you."

Eureka acquiesced with a heavy sigh, Mr. Moses cried, "Aunt Eureka's so
hungry that one would declare she could even eat oats if she found they
were there!" and Miss Minerva and the Prophet moved languidly towards
the buffet, endeavouring, by the indifference of their movements, to
cover the agitation in their hearts.

"Sir Tiglath coming here!" cried Miss Minerva under her breath, as soon
as they were out of earshot. "But he doesn't know Mrs. Bridgeman!"

"I know--but he's coming. And not