"Oh no, my lord! We laid in a big stock of it; but Lord Porchester was that fond of it (used to drink it like your lordship does champagne), I doubt if I could lay my hand on a bottle." "What an awful bo-ah!" I yawned. "I suppose I'll have to get a bottle of my own out of that little black box under my bed. I couldn't possibly go without it after dinner. Hang it all, the key is in my other trousers!" "Oh, don't trouble, my lord," said Jones anxiously. "I'll run and see if I can find any." I waited, gloating. Jones returned gleefully. "I've found plenty, my lord," he said, setting down a brimming liqueur-glass. He lingered about, clearing the table. His eye was upon me. I drank the Damtidam. Then Jones departed, and I went about kicking the furniture, and striding about in my desolate grandeur, like Napoleon at St. Helena. Presently the Infant and Towers came rushing in, choking with laughter. "Your arrival has fired afresh all Jones's aristocratic ambitions," gurgled Towers. "Ha! ha! ha!" "Ho! ho! ho!" panted the Infant. "He's coaxed us out of all our remaining Damtidam." I grinned a sickly response. "Great Scot!" the Infant bellowed. "What's this howling wilderness of shirt-front?" "It's cooler," I explained. CHAPTER III. THE QUEEN COMES INTO PLAY. I had to breakfast in my room, but by lunch the next day my friends had found an opportunity to explain me to Jones. They had on several occasions strongly exhorted Jones to secrecy as to my rank, so that the eyes of the whole table were on me when I entered. I ate with the ease of one conscious of giving involuntary lessons in etiquette to a furtive-glancing bourgeoisie. The Infant gave me Tintara, to break me gradually of champagne and reduce me to malt. After lunch Towers remonstrated with Jones on having obviously given me away. "Sir," protested Jones, in righteous indignation, "I promised to tell no one in the hotel, and I have kept my word!" "Well, how do they know then?" enquired Towers. "I shouldn't be surprised if they read it in the _Visitors' List_," Jones answered. Being now half-emancipated, I fell into the usual routine of a seaside holiday. I swam, I rowed, I walked, I lounged, whenever Jones would let me. One wet morning we even congratulated ourselves on our luxurious sitting-room, as we sat and smoked before the rain-whipt sea, till, unexpected, Jones brought up lunch for three. That evening, as we were entering the dining-room, Jones observed humbly to the Infant and Towers: "Excuse me, gentlemen; I 'ave 'ad to separate you from his lordship. We've 'ad such a influx of visitors for the Review, I've been 'ard put to it to squeeze them all in." Those wretched cowards marched feebly to a new extremity of the table, while I walked to my usual seat near the window, with anger flaming duskily on my brow. This time I was determined. I would stick to table-beer all the same.