“I call it a beastly shame,” said Toby Joy, who had joined her, speaking with much virtuous indignation--Toby, who himself had been one of the most audacious robbers. “I call it, Honor among thieves,” remarked Jervis, who happened to be passing by. Miss Valpy looked after him attentively. No, that young man was by no means shy. “I have made no end of beautiful kala-juggas,” continued Toby, complacently; “there ought to be half a dozen engagements to-night,” and he nodded his head and rubbed his hands ecstatically. “I thought kala-juggas were not allowed,” retorted Miss Valpy, severely. “Fine man traps,” growled Colonel Sladen, who had just arrived to offer criticism and obtain lunch. “But girls don’t go off as they used to do in my bachelor days. Girls,” looking hard at Miss Valpy, “are a drug in the market.” “There is another view, that may not have occurred to you,” she answered, snatching up the gauntlet thus flung in her face. “They are undoubtedly more _difficile_ than when _you_ were a young man. They may have heard the good old motto, ‘Look before you leap!’” Toby Joy sniggered audibly, and Colonel Sladen, turning savagely upon him, demanded, “what the devil he was laughing at?” Toby, slightly cowed by the cantonment magistrate’s beetling brows and fierce demeanour, blandly answered with an impudent twinkle-- “I was only thinking of something I was told just now. Mrs. Tompkins’ English-speaking Bearer announced to her to-day that the goose had four pups!” There was a shout of laughter at this startling item of natural history; but Colonel Sladen was still unappeased, and would have pitilessly pressed home his question, but for Mr. Skeggs, who cried with great presence of mind-- “There is Jervis coming back; what is he saying? Ah!”--with a gesture of delight--“Lunch--lunch--lunch.’ Shows he is an alien, or it would have been ‘Tiffin--tiffin--tiffin.’” “Ladies and gentlemen,” said Jervis, making a profound bow, “luncheon awaits you; and Mrs. Loyd requests me to announce that as you are here to work and not to play, you are only allowed twenty minutes for refreshments.” “Mrs. Loyd is as bad as an East End sweater,” grumbled Mr. Skeggs, handing Miss Valpy down from their mutual perch. “You may tell Mrs. Loyd from me, that I won’t work a second over the eight hours,” cried Toby; and, offering his arm to Miss Paske, they waltzed across the ball-room, “just to try the floor.” “Pray observe,” whispered Miss Valpy, as she and her escort seated themselves before a _recherché_ cold luncheon, “how your man’s man, Mr. Jervis, takes care to secure a place beside a woman’s girl. Can you explain that?” “No,” seizing a pair of carvers as he spoke. “Just at present I prefer to explore the contents of this most interesting-looking raised pie.” CHAPTER XXIX. MARK JERVIS IS UNMASKED.