lady,
indignantly.

"Oh yes, so we did," returned the Idiot. "That must have been what the
Bibliomaniac had taken," he added, turning to the genial gentleman who
occasionally imbibed. "You know, we thought he'd been--ah--he'd been
absorbing."

"To what do you refer?" asked the Bibliomaniac, curtly.

"To the brandied peaches," returned the Idiot. "Do not press me further,
please, because we like you, old fellow, and I don't believe anybody
noticed it but ourselves."

"Noticed what? I want to know what you noticed and when you noticed it,"
said the Bibliomaniac, savagely. "I don't want any nonsense, either. I
just want a plain statement of facts. What did you notice?"

"Well, if you must have it," said the Idiot, slowly, "my friend who
imbibes and I were rather pained on Sunday night to observe that
you--that you had evidently taken something rather stronger than cold
water, tea, or Mr. Pedagog's opinions."

"It's a libel, sir!--a gross libel!" retorted the Bibliomaniac. "How did
I show it? That's what I want to know. How--did--I--show--it? Speak up
quick, and loud too. How did I show it?"

"Well, you went up-stairs after tea."

"Yes, sir, I did."

"And my friend who imbibes and I were left down in the front hall, and
while we were talking there you put your head over the banisters and
asked, 'Who's that down there?' Remember that?"

"Yes, sir, I do. And you replied, 'Mr. Auburnose and myself.'"

"Yes. And then you asked, 'Who are the other two?'"

"Well, I did. What of it?"

"Mr. Auburnose and I were there alone. That's what of it. Now I put a
charitable construction on the matter and say it was the peaches, when
you fly off the handle like one of Mrs. Pedagog's coffee-cups."

"Sir!" roared the Bibliomaniac, jumping from his chair. "You are the
greatest idiot I know."

"Sir!" returned the Idiot, "you flatter me."

But the Bibliomaniac was not there to hear. He had rushed from the room,
and during the deep silence that ensued he could be heard throwing things
about in the chamber overhead, and in a very few moments the banging of
the front door and scurrying down the brown-stone steps showed that he
had gone out of doors to cool off.

[Illustration: HE COULD BE HEARD THROWING THINGS ABOUT]

"It is too bad," said the Idiot, after a while, "that he has such a
quick temper. It doesn't do a bit of good to get mad that way. He'll be
uncomfortable all day long, and over what? Just because I attempted to