"I wonder--But seriously, I have never been to the service there and since the Wellingtons asked me to drop into their pew any Sunday, I--" "The Wellingtons!" exclaimed Thornton of the submarine _Polyp_. "You don't mean the Ronald Wellingtons?" "No, I don't mean any Wellingtons at all. I was joking. Why?" "Then you did n't hear of Thornton's run in with them last week?" said Winston. "That's so, you were in Washington." "What was it, Joe?" asked Armitage, turning to Thornton. "Why, nothing much. Two of my men were arrested last Thursday for assaulting the Wellington kids. It seems they were walking past Bailey's Beach and the youngsters bombarded them with clam shells and gravel. It would have been all right, but one of the shells caught Kelly on the cheek and cut him. The men didn't do a thing but jump over that hedge into the holy of holies, gather in the young scions, and knock their heads together." "You don't say! What happened then?" "They were arrested and the chief sent over here. I got the men's story and then called the Wellingtons' house on the telephone. Mrs. Wellington's secretary answered. I told her who I was and that I wanted to talk about the case with some one in authority. She asked me to hold the wire and in a few seconds the queen herself was holding pleasant converse with yours truly. "'You say the men are under your command?' she said. "I replied, 'Even so.' Then she gave me the name of her lawyer and said Kelly and Burke would be prosecuted on every charge that could be brought to bear." Armitage laughed. "Trust her! What did you say?" "I got hot under the collar right away, then. 'Mrs. Wellington,' I said, 'my men were not to blame. If they were I should not have called you on the 'phone. But your sons threw shells and cut one of them. They were punished, and justly. And I now advise you I am going to have counter warrants issued against your boys if the charge is pressed in court to-day!' Just like that. "Her voice came crisp. 'You say my sons were at fault? Have you any proof of that?' "I came back in a second. 'I have sufficient proof to convince even your lawyer.' "'Very well,' she said. 'Then do it. I shall direct him to see you at once. If what you say is true we will of course take no further action.' "The case was dropped all right." "Bully for you," said Armitage. "My Lady evidently has a sense of justice." "Here 's a paragraph," said Winston, holding up a local paper, "which says that a physical instructor is wanted at The Crags. They are going to prepare for future engagements with our men, evidently." "Well, let me tell you that Anne Wellington is a corker," observed Black suddenly. "Anne Wellington?" said Armitage ingenuously.