'Your nephew very kindly came to see me off, that's all,' said Holroyd. 'Oh,' said Uncle Solomon, with a tolerant wave of his hand, 'I don't object to that, yer know, I've no objections to that--not that I don't think (between ourselves, mind yer) that he mightn't p'raps he better employed just now;' and here, to Mark's horror, he winked with much humorous suggestiveness at both of them. 'That is very likely,' said Holroyd. 'What I mean by saying he might be "better employed,"' continued Uncle Solomon, 'is that when----' 'Yes, yes, uncle,' Mark hastened to interpose, 'but on special occasions like these one can leave one's duties for a while.' 'Now there I think you make your mistake--you make too sure, Mark. I tell you (and I think your friend 'ere will bear me out in this) that, in your situation, it don't _do_ to go leaving 'em in the lurch too often--it don't _do_!' Mark could stand no more of this. 'A _lurch_ now,' he said--'what an odd expression that is! Do you know, I've often tried to picture to myself what kind of a thing a lurch may be. I always fancy it must be a sort of a deep hole. Have _you_ any idea, Vincent?' Mark would have been too thankful to have been able to drop his uncle down a lurch of that description occasionally, particularly when he chose, as he did on this occasion, to take offence at his nephew's levity. 'Lurch is a good old English word, let me tell yer, Mr. Schoolmaster that was,' he broke in; 'and if I'd done as many a man in my position would, and left _you_ in the lurch a few months ago, where would you ha' been?--that's what I'd like to know! For I must tell yer, Mr. Holroyd, that that feller came to me with a precious long face, and says he, "Uncle," he says, "I want you to----"' Mark felt that in another moment the whole story of his uncle's intervention at Kensington Park Gardens would burst upon Holroyd with the force of a revelation, and he was at the end of his resources. _Where_ was Caffyn all this time? How could he be so careless as to be late? 'I--I don't think it's quite fair to tell all that,' he expostulated weakly. 'Fair!' said Uncle Solomon. 'I made no secrecy over it. I did nothing to be ashamed of and hush up, and it's no disgrace to you that I can see to be helped by an uncle that can afford it. Well, as I was saying, Mark came to me----'