"Master Guy, milady," said he, as though I were about fourteen, and just come home for the holidays. Lady Bulstrode, who had been writing letters, jumped up with surprising alacrity. "My dear boy!" she said, taking my hand in both of hers. "My dear boy! I am so pleased to see you!" She looked just as she did when I had seen her last in London, five years before--old, shrewd, and kindly, with the same twinkling black eyes, and, unless I am much mistaken, precisely the same wig. "It's charming of you to remember me at all," I said. "Parkes tells me I've grown so big and black that no one would know me." Parkes, who was still standing by the door, made a kind of expostulating murmur, and Lady Bulstrode, with a laugh, pushed me gently backwards into a chair. "Sit down!" she said. "Sit down and let me have a good look at you." Then, turning to Parkes, she added: "Bring the whisky and soda up here, Parkes. I am sure Mr. Guy would like a drink after his travels." As the old man went out, Rufus, who up till then had been keeping modestly in the background, apparently decided that it was time he introduced himself. Anyhow, he came squirming out from under the sofa and sat down with much tail-wagging, in the middle of the room. "I couldn't help bringing him," I explained apologetically. "He adopted me at Strathmore last week, and his motto seems to be the same as Ruth's, 'Where thou goest I will go.' Do you mind dogs in the house?" "I mind nothing," said Lady Bulstrode, "except rheumatism and travelling third-class. Come here, boy!" She held out a hand to Rufus, who crawled up and seated himself carefully with his back against her skirt. "George told me you were in these parts," she went on; "or, as he put it, 'pigging it upon some absurd island off Strathmore.'" "Dear George!" I said. "He has all the simple candour of a British statesman." "He has quite a high opinion of you," returned Lady Bulstrode, "though he thinks you're a little mad." "He's probably right. Anyhow, I'm very thirsty," I replied, as the door opened and Parkes came in with the whisky. I mixed myself a long drink and, at Lady Bulstrode's command, lighted a cigarette. "I had a talk with George the other day," I said, when the door closed behind us again. "He thinks it's quite time I settled down." "What do you think about it?" asked Lady Bulstrode. "That doesn't matter," I said--"at least, not to George." My hostess smiled. "Still, even unimportant things are sometimes interesting." "I think," said I, "that one Cabinet Minister in the family is quite enough." "Ample," agreed Lady Bulstrode hastily; "but, after all, there are plenty of other openings in life for an energetic and honest young man."