--"

"What time do you leave in the morning?"

"By the train at half-past ten. If it doesn't rain, the young men
will cycle--perhaps all of them. Then they will go when they like--"

"I will come round to say good-bye--" said Alvina.

"Oh no--don't disturb yourself--"

"Yes, I want to take home the things--the kettle for the bronchitis,
and those things--"

"Oh thank you very much--but don't trouble yourself. I will send
Ciccio with them--or one of the others--"

"I should like to say good-bye to you all," persisted Alvina.

Madame glanced round at Max and Louis.

"Are we not all here? No. The two have gone. No! Well! Well what
time will you come?"

"About nine?"

"Very well, and I leave at ten. Very well. Then _au revoir_ till the
morning. Good-night."

"Good-night," said Alvina. Her colour was rather flushed.

She walked up with Mr. May, and hardly noticed he was there. After
supper, when James Houghton had gone up to count his pennies, Alvina
said to Miss Pinnegar:

"Don't you think father looks rather seedy, Miss Pinnegar?"

"I've been thinking so a long time," said Miss Pinnegar tartly.

"What do you think he ought to do?"

"He's killing himself down there, in all weathers and freezing in
that box-office, and then the bad atmosphere. He's killing himself,
that's all."

"What can we do?"

"Nothing so long as there's that place down there. Nothing at all."

Alvina thought so too. So she went to bed.

She was up in time, and watching the clock. It was a grey morning,
but not raining. At five minutes to nine, she hurried off to Mrs.
Rollings. In the back yard the bicycles were out, glittering and
muddy according to their owners. Ciccio was crouching mending a
tire, crouching balanced on his toes, near the earth. He turned like
a quick-eared animal glancing up as she approached, but did not
rise.

"Are you getting ready to go?" she said, looking down at him. He
screwed his head round to her unwillingly, upside down, his chin
tilted up at her. She did not know him thus inverted. Her eyes
rested on his face, puzzled. His chin seemed so large, aggressive.
He was a little bit repellent and brutal, inverted. Yet she
continued:

"Would you help me to carry back the things we brought for Madame?"

He rose to his feet, but did not look at her. He was wearing broken
cycling shoes. He stood looking at his bicycle tube.

"Not just yet," she said. "I want to say good-bye to Madame. Will
you come i