“Well, Winterbourne,” he remarked in his neat, mincing English, “you appeared sunk in thought. What was the precise object of your contemplation?” “Bobbe was inveighing against Upjohn for toadying to Lady Carter, and then as soon as Mrs. Shobbe came and asked him to be introduced, he rushed off and you can see him there sitting at Lady Carter’s feet with clasped hands.” Mr. Tubbe looked unnecessarily grave. “O-oh,” he said with a very genteel roll to the “o,” and an air of suggesting unutterable things. This was a very great asset to Mr. Tubbe in social intercourse. He found that an interrogative silence on his part forced other people to talk, and made them slightly ill at ease, so that they betrayed what they did not always wish to express. He would then gravely remark “Oe-oh” or “In-deed?” or “Really?” with a deportmental air which was highly impressive and somehow slightly reproving. It was reported that Mr. Tubbe spent hours practising in private the exact intonation of his “Oe-ohs,” “Reallys” and “Indeeds.” He had certainly brought them to a high pitch of gentility and suppressed significance. Mr. Tubbe drank a good deal—gin mostly—but it must be said for him that the drunker he got the more genteel and darkly significant he became. There was a pause after Mr. Tubbe’s “Oe-oh.” His interrogative silence did its work. George plunged into talk, saying the first thing which came into his head. “I came along with Upjohn, after seeing his new pictures.” “In-deed?” “He would like me to write an article on them, but it’s very difficult. Honestly, I don’t understand them and think they’re rather nonsense, don’t you?” “Oe-oh.” “Have you seen them?” “Noe-o.” Say something, blast you! Another long pause. “Well, my dear Winterbourne, I am very happy to have had some conversation with you. Come in and see me soon, quite soon. Will you excuse me? I must ask Lord Congreve a question. Good-bye. _Good_-bye!” * * * * * George observed the greeting between Mr. Waldo Tubbe and Lord Congreve. “Hullo, Waldo!” “My _dear_ Bernard...!”