d I shall
judge of Geoff for myself, my dears."

They were just at home again by this time. Vicky met them at the door.
She was in great excitement about Mr. Byrne's Indian servant, who had
come with his master's evening clothes.

"I was watching for Geoff, to tell him!" she exclaimed. "But my tea's
ready; I must go." And off she ran.

"Good little girl," said Great-Uncle Hoot-Toot, nodding his head
approvingly. "No grumbling from _her_, eh?"

"No, never," said Elsa, warmly. "She's having her tea alone to-day.
Geoff's coming in to dinner in your honour."

"Humph!" said the old gentleman.

[Illustration]

[Illustration: GEOFF'S INTERVIEW WITH GREAT-UNCLE HOOT-TOOT.]

[Illustration]

CHAPTER V.

A CRISIS.

Mrs. Tudor and the two girls had gone upstairs to the drawing-room.
Geoff glanced dubiously at Great-Uncle Hoot-Toot.

"Shall I--shall I stay with you, sir?" he asked.

Geoff was on his good behaviour.

The old gentleman glanced at him.

"Certainly, my boy, if you've nothing better to do," he said. "No
lessons--eh?"

"No, sir," Geoff replied. "I've got all done, except a little I can do
in the morning."

"They work you pretty hard, eh?"

"Yes, they do. There's not much fun for a fellow who's at school in
London. It's pretty much the same story--grind, grind, from one week's
end to another."

"Hoot-toot! That sounds melancholy," said Mr. Byrne. "No holidays, eh?"

"Oh, of course, I've some holidays," said Geoff. "But, you see, when a
fellow has only got a mother and sisters----"

"_Only_," repeated the old gentleman; but Geoff detected no sarcasm in
his tone.

"And mother's afraid of my skating, or boating on the river, or----"

"Doesn't she let you go in for the school games?" interrupted Mr. Byrne
again.

"Oh yes; it would be too silly not to do _that_. I told her at the
beginning--I mean, she understood--it wouldn't do. But there's lots of
things I'd like to do, if mother wasn't afraid. I should like to ride,
or at least to have a tricycle. It's about the only thing to make life
bearable in this horrible place. Such weather! I do hate London!"

"Indeed!" said Mr. Byrne. "It's a pity your mother didn't consult you
before settling here."

"She did it for the best, I suppose," said Geoff. "She didn't want to
part with me, you see. But I'd rather have been at a boarding-school in
the country; I do so detest London. And then it's not pleasant to be too
poor to have things one sh