"And if he does, what matter?" said Von Marlo. "He won't eat us! Come along, Miss Rachel." I was very glad he did not call me Dumps. He must have heard Hannah call me Miss Rachel, for, as far as the boys were concerned, I might have been christened Dumps, for they never addressed me as anything else. We went up the stairs, I going first to lead the way, and Von Marlo following, bearing the little tray with its fragrant tea, hot toast, and poached egg. All went well, and nothing would have happened except the pleasant memory of our little adventure if suddenly at the top of the stairs we had not encountered the stern face of father himself. There was gas in that part of the house, and it had been turned on; father looked absolutely black with rage. "What is the meaning of this?" he said. "Who are you? Von Marlo, I declare! And what, may I ask, are you doing in my house, and venturing up to my rooms, sir?--What is the meaning of this, Rachel? I shall punish you severely.--Go downstairs, sir; go down at once, and leave the house." If it had been Squibs, even had it been Alex or Charley, I think he would have turned at once at the sight of that angry, very fierce face; but Von Marlo was like Hannah--he knew no fear. He said quietly, "You are mistaken, sir; I have done nothing that I should be ashamed of. Your son, Mr Alex, invited me to come into the house, and he also invited me to have tea downstairs. Your daughter went to the kitchen to prepare your tea, and I offered to assist her. It is a way we have in my country, sir, to assist the ladies when they have more to do than they can well accomplish. It is the way we gentlemen act, Professor." There was something so quaint in Von Marlo's utterance that even father was appeased. He murmured, "I forgot you were a foreigner. Well then, thanks; but go away now, for goodness' sake.--Rachel, take the tea into my bedroom.--Von Marlo, you must go; I cannot have any one in my house this evening; my head is very bad." "Good-bye, Mr Von Marlo," I said; "and thank you, thank you." Von Marlo boldly took my hand in the presence of father, and then bolted downstairs, I regret to say, with extreme noise; for, notwithstanding his gentlemanly manners, his boots were thick and rough, and the stairs were destitute of carpets. "Lay the tea on the table, Rachel," said my father. He pushed his hands through his hair, which now seemed to stand up on his head and gave him a wild appearance. "What does this mean? Tell me at once. Speak, Rachel." "I think Mr Von Marlo explained, father. I am awfully sorry. I did ask Agnes and Rita Swan to tea this evening. You said--or at least you never said that I wasn't to ask them." "I never gave you leave to ask any one. How dare you invite people to my house without my permission?" "I am lonely sometimes, father."