"Legislation is not the hereditary disease I complain of," I said evasively. "What then?" "Love!" I replied desperately. She laughed gaily. "I guess that's an original view of love." "Why? My parents suffered from it: at least, I hope they did." "Doubtful! Your Upper Ten is usually supposed to have cured marriage of it." She bent her head over her plate, so that I strove in vain to read her eyes. "Well, it's a beastly shame," I said. "Don't you think so, Miss Harper--Ethelberta? May I call you Ethelberta?" "If it gives you any comfort," she said plumply. "It gives me more than comfort," I rejoined. A wild hope flamed in my breast. What if she loved me after all! I would speak the word. But no! If she did, I had won her love under a false glamour of nobility. Better, far better, to keep both my secrets in my own breast. Besides, had I not seen she was a flirt? I continued to call her Ethelberta, but that was all. When we rose from table I had not spoken; knowing that my friends would claim my society for the rest of the evening, I held out my hand in final farewell. She took it. Her own hand was hot. I clasped it for a moment, gazing into the wonderful blue eyes; then I let it go, and all was over. "I do believe Teddy is hit!" Towers said when I came into our room, whither they had preceded me. "Rot!" I said, turning my face away. "A seasoned bachelor like me. Heigho! I shall be awfully glad to get to work again to-morrow." "Yes," said the Infant. "I see from the statistics that the mortality of your district has declined frightfully. That Robins must be a regular duffer." "I'll soon set that right!" I exclaimed, with a forced grin. "She certainly is a stunner," Towers mused. "Hullo! I'm afraid it's Merton that's damaged," I laughed boisterously. "Well, if she wasn't an heiress--" began Towers slowly. "She might have you," finished the Infant. "But I say, boys, we'd better ask for our bills; we've got to be off in the morning by the 8.5. Jones mightn't be up when we leave." The room echoed with sardonic laughter at the idea. There was no need to ring for Jones; he found two pretexts an hour to come and gaze upon me. When my bill came, I went to the window for air and to hide my face from Jones. "All right, Jones!" cried the Infant, guessing what was up. "We'll leave it on the table before we go to bed." "Well?" my friends enquired eagerly, when Jones had crawled off. "Twenty-seven pounds two and tenpence!" I groaned, letting the accursed paper drift helplessly to the floor. "D----d reasonable!" said the Infant. "You would go it!" Towers added soothingly. "Reasonable or not," I said, "I've only got six pounds in my pockets." "You said you brought ten," said Towers. "Yes! but what of carriage-sails and yacht-drives?" I cried agitatedly. "You're drunk," said the Infant brutally. "However, I suppose, before going into dividing exes we must get together the gross sum."