Mrs. Grice, engaged in a bout of what looked like a game of catch-as-catch-can with Mr. Grice and the tablecloth, immediately extricated herself from her damask winding-sheet and came respectfully to attention. "Sir?" "Mrs. Grice, when you received your husband's proposal of marriage, was it by letter or word of mouth?" Mrs. Grice, needless to say, was quite overwhelmed with maidenly confusion. Coming from Timothy, such a question as this would have surprised her not at all; for Timothy was one of those fortunate persons who may say what they like to any one. But as uttered by her grave and reserved patron Mr. Meldrum, it sounded most alarming. She replied, breathlessly:-- "Was you referring to Mr. Grice or to my first 'usband, sir?" "'Ow should Mr. Meldrum," enquired a husky voice from the sideboard, "know you ever 'ad a fust 'usband?" Mrs. Grice, having now recovered her mental poise, countered with a lightning thrust. "Knowing you as he does, Grice," she retorted, "is it likely Mr. Meldrum would dream of regardin' you as my first choice?" Philip broke in pacifically:-- "Let us say your first husband, Mrs. Grice." "Well, sir," began Mrs. Grice readily, "'e did it by word of mouth. Leastways, not precisely. Partly by deputy, if you take my meaning, sir." Philip made an apologetic gesture. "Not absolutely," he said. "Well, sir," continued Mrs. Grice, beginning to enjoy herself, "we'd bin walkin' out for some time, and it didn't look like ever comin' to anything. So my brother George, 'e said it was time the matter was took up proper. George was a brewer's drayman. There was eleven of us altogether!--" "Not _quite_ so much of it!" advised Mr. Grice, who had left the sideboard to join the symposium. "Get back to your first." Needless to say, Mrs. Grice took not the slightest notice. "Well, sir, George told me to tell 'Enery--that bein' his name; Grice's, as you know, bein' Albert--" "Keep to the point, do!" groaned Mr. Grice. "--George told me to tell 'Enery--'Enery 'Orbling his full name was--that if him and me wasn't married inside of four weeks, George would come along and knock his 'ead off. I told 'Enery what George had said, sir," continued the old lady in a tone of tender reminiscence, "and I became Mrs. 'Orbling in three weeks and six days exactly. That's what I meant when I said that my courting was done by deputy. 'Orbling died fourteen years ago, in Charing Cross Hospital. His kidneys are still--" "I see," said Philip hurriedly. "Grice, when you asked the future Mrs. Grice to become your wife, how did _you_ set about it?" "Was you referrin', sir," enquired Mr. Grice, with a respectful wheeze, "to this Mrs. Grice or to my first wife?" "Let us say this Mrs. Grice," said Philip, beginning to feel a little dizzy.