"I'm shorry," he said, "to be thish con ... condish'n, gemmem, but y'see it's like this. A gemman said to me, y'see, 'Bert,' 'e says ... thash my name ... Bert, called after Queen's 'usban' ... Gaw' bless 'er!... Alber' the Goo' they called '_im_ ... not me, oh, Lor' no!... thish gemmam, 'e says to me, 'Bert,' 'e says, 'come an' 'ave one!' an' so o' course I '_ad_ to 'ave one. Thash 'ow 'twas, see! Shorry to be in thish disgrashful state ... thish sad occas'n, gemmem. Very shorry! _I_ thank you!" He turned to leave them, staggering towards the door. "I ain't been a good 'usban' to 'er," he went on, again making the jerking gesture over his shoulder with his thumb. "Thash a fac'. I ain't. But I 'pologise. I'm shorry! Can't say no more'n that, can I? Goo'-ni', gemmem!" And then he staggered out. "Somebody ought to do him in," said Ninian, going to see that he left the house as quickly as possible. "Well," said Roger, when Ninian had returned, "what are we going to do next?" "Sack Magnolia," said Gilbert. "And then?" Roger went on. "I don't know," Gilbert replied. "I suppose we can get another housekeeper," Henry suggested. "Yes, we could do that," said Gilbert. Roger got up and moved about the room for a few moments. "I think I shall get married," he said at last. "I've got to get married some time, and I might as well get married now. This ... this business seems to provide an opportunity, don't you think?" "It's a pity to break up the house," Gilbert murmured. "It'll have to be broken up some day," Roger retorted. Ninian joined in. "There's talk of a big railway contract in South America, and I might have to go. Hare spoke of sending me. In about six months' time...." "We might let the house furnished for the remainder of the lease," Roger went on. "Perhaps some one would take the furniture over altogether.... I could use some of it, of course, for my house when I get married!" "You've settled it then!" said Gilbert. "Not exactly. I haven't said anything to Rachel yet. The idea occurred to me in the chapel while the parson was saying the Burial Service!" "I could have hit that fellow," Gilbert exclaimed. "Gabbling it off like that! I suppose he was in a hurry to get home to tea!" They sat in silence for a while, each of them conjuring up the vision of the cold little service in the cemetery chapel. Magnolia, clothed in black, had sobbed loudly, while Mr. Clutters sniffed and said "A-men" very emphatically, and the parson, regarding the little group of mourners with the curiosity of a man who is bored by death and the ritual of burial, gabbled away: _NowisChristrisen fromthedeadandbecomethefirstfruitsofthemthatsleptforsince_ _Bymancamedeathbymancamealso_ _Theresurrectionofthedead...._ "It means breaking up everything," Gilbert still protested. "Things are always breaking up," said Roger. "I suppose so," Gilbert replied.