e the idea of your doing that," he said, shaking his head and
frowning. "I don't know how long I may be away--the affirmation of the
ideal is sometimes a lengthy process. Of course the Temple is a quiet
place; but I don't like to leave two small children alone in it for a
fortnight, or three weeks. It isn't as if Mr. Gedge-Tomkins were at
home. If he were at hand--just across the landing, it would be a very
different matter."

"But I'm _sure_ we should be all right, sir," said Pollyooly with entire
confidence.

"Oh, I'm bound to say that if any child in the world could take care of
herself and a little brother, it's you," he said handsomely. "But I want
to devote all my energies to the affirmation of the ideal; and I must not
be troubled by anxiety about you. I shall have to dispose of you safely
somehow."

With that he rose, lighted a cigar, and presently sallied forth into the
world. The matter of learning the quickest way to Buda-Pesth and
procuring a ticket for the morrow took him little more than half an hour.
Then the matter of disposing safely of Pollyooly and the Lump during his
absence rose again to his mind and he walked along pondering it.
Presently there came to him a happy thought: there was their common
friend, Hilary Vance, an artist who had employed Pollyooly as his model
for a set of stories for _The Blue Magazine_. Hilary Vance was devoted
to Pollyooly, and he had a spare bedroom. But for a while the Honourable
John Ruffin hesitated; the artist was a man of an uncommonly mercurial,
irresponsible temperament. Was it safe to entrust two small children to
his care? Then he reflected that Pollyooly was a strong corrective of
irresponsibility, and took a taxicab to Chelsea.

Hilary Vance, very broad, very thick, very round, with a fine, rebellious
mop of tow-coloured hair, which had fallen forward so as nearly to hide
his big, simple eyes, opened the door to him. At the sight of his
visitor a spacious round smile spread over his spacious face; and he
welcomed him with an effusive enthusiasm.

At his christening the good fairy had given to the Honourable John Ruffin
a very lively interest in his fellow-creatures and a considerable power
of observation with which to gratify it. He was used to the splendid
expansiveness of Hilary Vance; but it seemed to him that to-day he was
boiling with an added exuberance; and that curiosity was aroused. He
took up a chair and hammered its back on the flo