avour to remove the burrs from his coat.

All of which, gentlemen, must undeniably go to show that the master who
suffers his servants to go a-junketing will have his reward; that a
woman knows better than a man what course he should shape; and that
there is much virtue in hunting, even though it keep the hunter afoot
till four of the morning.

CHAPTER IV

THE GOLDEN BOWL

With Monseigneur Forest, other than in his capacity of uncle and
counsellor to Miss Valerie French, we are not concerned. It is
necessary, however, to record that the dignitary was no fool. He was,
in fact, a very wise man, able to understand most men and women better
than they understood themselves. With such understanding, naturally
enough, went a rare kindness of heart; the addition to these things of
a fine sense of humour argued a certain favouritism on the part of a
Providence which bestows upon ninety-and-nine mortals but one virtue
apiece, and to the hundredth but two. Monseigneur Forest was, I
suppose, a man in a million.

A letter of some importance, which his niece had sent him, reached him
in Rome ere October was old.

_DEAR UNCLE JOHN,_

_I want to see and talk to you very badly, but I can't leave England
just now. I suppose you guess what is coming. I can see you smile.
You're quite right. I've fallen in love._

_Listen. I was out with poor little Joe in the country, and went to an
inn for tea. And there was a man in the garden. I didn't know he was
there till his dog and Joe started scrapping, and then he ran up to
separate them. The moment I saw him--I don't know how to tell you. I
just felt floored.... Then--instinctively, I suppose, for I hardly
knew what I was doing--I tried to cover up this feeling. I was furious
with him for knocking me out. Can you ever understand? And I was
pretty rude. He took it wonderfully and just apologized--Heaven knows
what for--and cleared out. The moment he was gone, I could have torn
my hair. I actually went again to the inn, to try and find him, though
what I should have done if I had I don't know...._

_Then I saw him again--not to speak to--as I was coming away from the
Opera. Now hold on to something--tight! He was in livery--a footman's
livery._

_Yes. It made me jump, mentally, for the moment. Of course, I'd never
dreamed of that. And then I realized that he must be down on his luck,
and I felt so sorry for him I could have cried. As a matter of fact,