“By Jove, it's Penelope, don't you know,” ejaculated the duke, dropping his monocle and blinking his eye as if to rest it for the time being. “But she's not hurt. She's helping to support one of those men.” “Hey!” shouted his lordship from the gallery, as Penelope and two dilapidated male companions abruptly started to cut across the park in the direction of the stables. “What's up?” Penelope waved her hand aimlessly, but did not change her course. Whereupon the entire house party sallied forth in more or less trepidation to intercept the strange party. “Who are these men?” demanded Lady Bazelhurst, as they came up to the fast-breathing young Englishwoman. “Don't bother me, please. We must get him to bed at once. He'll have pneumonia,” replied Penelope. Both men were dripping wet and the one in the middle limped painfully, probably because both eyes were swollen tight and his nose was bleeding. Penelope's face was beaming with excitement and interest. “Who are you?” demanded his lordship, planting himself in front of the shivering twain. “Tompkins,” murmured the blind one feebly, tears starting from the blue slits and rolling down his cheeks. “James, sir,” answered the other, touching his damp forelock. “Are they drunk?” asked Mrs. De Peyton, with fresh enthusiasm. “No, they are not, poor fellows,” cried Penelope. “They have taken nothing but water.” “By Jove, deuced clever that,” drawled the duke. “Eh?” to the New Yorker. “Deuced,” from the Knickerbocker. “Well, well, what's it all about?” demanded Bazelhurst. “Mr. Shaw, sir,” said James. “Good Lord, could n't you rescue him?” in horror. “He rescued us, sir,” mumbled Tompkins. “You mean--” “He throwed us in and then had to jump in and pull us out, sir. Beggin' your pardon, sir, but _damn_ him!” “And you did n't throw him in, after all? By Jove, extraordinary!” “Do you mean to tell us that he threw you great hulking creatures into the river? Single-handed?” cried Lady Bazelhurst, aghast. “He did, Evelyn,” inserted Penelope. “I met them coming home, and poor Tompkins was out of his senses. I don't know how it happened, but--” “It was this way, your ladyship,” put in James, the groom. “Tompkins and me could see him from the point there, sir, afishin' below the log. So we says to each other 'Come on,' and up we went to where he was afishin'. Tompkins, bein' the game warden, says he to him 'Hi there!' He was plainly on our property, sir, afishin' from a boat for bass, sir. 'Hello, boys,' says he back to us. 'Get off our land,' says Tompkins. 'I am,' says he; 'it's water out here where I am.' Then--” “You're wrong,” broke in Tompkins. “He said 'it 's wet out here where I am.'” “You 're right. It was wet. Then Tompkins called him a vile name, your lordship--shall I repeat it, sir?” “No, no!” cried four feminine voices. “Yes, do,” muttered the duke.