"Well--I never!" exclaimed Mrs Square, sticking her fists in her waist and leaning her head to one side in critical scrutiny of her small petitioner. "You do seem cock-sure o' your powers. H'm! p'r'aps you're not far out neither. Well, I'll try it on, though it _may_ cost me a deal of abuse. You sit there an' see that cats don't get at the wittles, for the cats in this court are a sharper set than or'nar." Mrs Square entered the hall, and begged one of the members near the door to pass up a message--as quietly as possible--to the effect that Mr Pax was wanted. This was immediately done by the member shouting, irreverently, that the secretary's mother "'ad come to take 'im 'ome." "Order, order! Put 'im out!" from several of the members. "Any'ow, 'e's wanted by some one on very partikler business," growled the irreverent member, and the secretary made his way to the door. "W'y, Tottie!" exclaimed Pax, taking both the child's hands patronisingly in his, "what brings you here?" With a furtive glance at Mrs Square, Tottie said, "Oh! please, I want to speak about something very partikler." "Indeed! come out to the court then," said little Pax, leading the way; "you'll be able to air the subject better there, whatever it is, and the cats won't object. Sorry I can't take you into the hall, little 'un, but ladies ain't admitted." When the child, with eager haste, stated the object of her visit, and wound up her discourse with the earnest remark that her father _must_ be stopped, and _mustn't_ be took, her small counsellor looked as perplexed and anxious as herself. Wrinkling up his smooth brow, he expressed the belief that it was a difficult world to deal with, and he had had some trouble already in finding out how to manage it. "You see, Tot," he said, "this is a great evenin' with the literary message-boys. Not that I care a rap for that, but I've unfortunately got to move a vote of thanks to our lecturer to-night, and say somethin' about the lecture, which I couldn't do, you know, unless I remained to hear it. To be sure, I might get some one else to take my place, but I'm not easily spared, for half the fun o' the evenin' would be lost if they hadn't got me to make game of and air their chaff upon. Still, as you say, your dad must have his little game stopped. He must be a great blackg--I beg pardon, Tot, I mean that he must be a great disregarder of the rights of man--woman, as it happens, in this case. However, as you said, with equal truth, he must not be took, for if he was, he'd probably be hanged, and I couldn't bear to think of your father bein' scragged. Let me see. When did you say he meant to start?" "He said to mother that he'd leave at nine, and might 'ave to be out all night."