t 'took,'" said Bones gravely, answering the other's question.
"I must say Henry behaved like a gentleman."

"What did Fitz say?"

(Fitzgerald, the doctor, had come in accordance with his promise to
perform the operation.)

"Fitz?" said Bones, and his voice trembled. "Fitz is a cad!"

Hamilton grinned.

"He said that babies didn't feel pain, and there was Henry howling his
young head off. It was horrible!"

Bones wiped his streaming brow with a large and violent bandana, and
looked round cautiously.

"Not a word, Ham, to her!" he said, in a loud whisper.

"Sorry!" said Hamilton, picking up his pipe. "Her knows."

"Good gad!" said Bones, in despair, and turned to meet the girl.

"Oh, Bones!" she said reproachfully, "you never told me!"

Bones shrugged his shoulders, opened his mouth, dropped his pipe,
blinked, spread out his hands in deprecation, and picked up his pipe.

From which it may be gathered that he was agitated.

"Dear old Miss Hamilton," he said tremulously, "I should be a horrid
bounder if I denied Henry Hamilton Bones--poor little chap. If I never
mentioned him, dear old sister, it is because----Ah, well, you will
never understand."

He hunched his shoulders dejectedly.

"Don't be an ass, Bones. Why the dickens are you making a mystery of the
thing?" asked Hamilton. "I'll certify you're a jolly good father to the
brat."

"Not 'brat,' dear old sir," begged Bones. "Henry is a human being with a
human heart. That boy"--he wagged his finger solemnly--"knows me the
moment I go into the hut. To see him sit up an' say 'Da!' dear old
sister Hamilton," he went on incoherently, "to see him open his mouth
with a smile, one tooth through, an' one you can feel with your little
finger--why, it's--it's wonderful, jolly old Miss Hamilton! Damn it,
it's wonderful!"

"Bones!" cried the shocked girl.

"I can't help it, madame," said Bones miserably. "Fitz cut his poor
little, fat little arm. Oh, Fitz is a low cad! Cut it, my dear old
Patricia, mercilessly--yes, mercilessly, brutally, an' the precious
little blighter didn't so much as call for the police. Good gad, it was
terrible!"

His eyes were moist, and he blew his nose with great vigour.

"I'm sure it was awful," she soothed him. "May I come and see him?"

Bones raised a warning hand, and, though the habitat of the wonderful
child could not have been less than half a mile away, lowered his voice.

"He's asleep--fitfully, but asleep. I've told t