heels with a tray.
"Eh? No--but it is! In the words of the Bard, What ho, Constantia!"
He threw his bright top-hat across the room, hooked his umbrella over
his left arm, and ran forward with both hands held out. "Oh, Con!
this is good! Give me a kiss, with Otty's leave--a real good nursery
kiss!"

"There!" agreed Constantia. "And now sit down and be a good boy.
Where's Lettice?"

"Shopping in Knightsbridge: and the nurse walking the infant up and
down, more or less parallel, just inside the Park, that he may watch
the wheels go round. . . . I broke away. Shouldn't be surprised if
Lettice taxi'd around here presently. I hinted at tea, and she knows
where to find me. . . . Oh, by George, yes! Lettice always knows
where I am, somehow. Meanwhile, here's your good staid chaperon."
He dropped into a chair. "Otty, you're looking serious. What were
you talking about, you two?"

"Well, it's like this," said I, after a glance at her; "Constantia's
going to be married--to Jack Foe."

He had started up at my first words, to congratulate her. As I
dropped out the last three, with admirable presence of mind--"When in
doubt, apply cake," said he hoarsely, cramming a large piece into his
mouth to stifle his emotion.

"I am not in doubt," said Constantia serenely; "and I suppose that is
why you help yourself as first aid, before offering me some bread and
butter, while Roddy lets me pour the tea. Thank you," she added, as
he whipped about with an apology. "Don't speak with your mouth full:
it's rude. . . . And now listen to me. Roddy, here, is off for South
America, he tells me. Two days ago he wrote to Jack, asking for the
latitude and longitude, as near as might be, of a certain island.
Jack showed me the letter. . . . You know about this?" she asked
Jimmy, shooting out the question of a sudden.

I interrupted it. "Jimmy knows about it," said I. "No one else."

She looked at us calmly, taking stock of us. "Very well," she said;
"and Jack has told me the whole story too, of course. I didn't know
till this moment that Jimmy knew: but I'm so glad he does, for it
makes us all four-square. Now, when first Jack got your letter,
Roddy, He was for sending the information in six words on a post
card, as being all that was due to an old friend that had so
misjudged him. But I persuaded him, and--"

The outer door slammed upon the word, and a brisk footstep sounded in
the passage. I recognised it at once. So di