eard of: then he was aware of a degree of
waste for the others, as if somebody lost something--but never when he
lounged in that simplifying yet so comprehensive way in the court. It
wanted but a quarter of an hour to dinner--THAT historic fact was not
beyond his measure--when Delia and Francie at last met his view, still
accompanied by Mr. Flack and sauntering in, at a little distance from
each other, with a jaded air which was not in the least a tribute to his
possible solicitude. They dropped into chairs and joked with each other,
mingling sociability and languor, on the subject of what they had
seen and done--a question into which he felt as yet the delicacy of
enquiring. But they had evidently done a good deal and had a good
time: an impression sufficient to rescue Mr. Dosson personally from the
consciousness of failure. "Won't you just step in and take dinner with
us?" he asked of the young man with a friendliness to which everything
appeared to minister.

"Well, that's a handsome offer," George Flack replied while Delia put it
on record that they had each eaten about thirty cakes.

"Well, I wondered what you were doing so long. But never mind your
cakes. It's twenty minutes past six, and the table d'hote's on time."

"You don't mean to say you dine at the table d'hote!" Mr. Flack cried.

"Why, don't you like that?"--and Francie's candour of appeal to their
comrade's taste was celestial.

"Well, it isn't what you must build on when you come to Paris. Too many
flowerpots and chickens' legs."

"Well, would you like one of these restaurants?" asked Mr. Dosson. "_I_
don't care--if you show us a good one."

"Oh I'll show you a good one--don't you worry." Mr. Flack's tone was
ever that of keeping the poor gentleman mildly but firmly in his place.

"Well, you've got to order the dinner then," said Francie.

"Well, you'll see how I could do it!" He towered over her in the pride
of this feat.

"He has got an interest in some place," Delia declared. "He has taken us
to ever so many stores where he gets his commission."

"Well, I'd pay you to take them round," said Mr. Dosson; and with much
agreeable trifling of this kind it was agreed that they should sally
forth for the evening meal under Mr. Flack's guidance.

If he had easily convinced them on this occasion that that was a more
original proceeding than worrying those old bones, as he called it, at
the hotel, he convinced them of other things besides in the c