"I am so glad," she said happily. "I should hate to have sold them really. You see they belonged--" She again came to an abrupt and rather confused halt. "They belonged to my great-grandmother," she finished weakly. "Indeed," said Tony in a perfectly grave voice. "She must have had charming hands." There was a light tap at the door, and after a moment's delay the discreet figure of Spalding again appeared on the threshold. "I beg pardon, Sir Antony," he observed, "but Bugg has just returned. I thought you might wish to be informed." Tony pushed back his chair. "What has he been doing with himself?" he asked. "I fancy, sir," returned Spalding impassively, "that he has been spending the night in the Bow Street police station." "Oh!" exclaimed Isabel in a horrified voice. "Really!" said Tony. "How exciting!" He turned to Isabel. "Shall we have him up?" She nodded eagerly. "Send him along, Spalding," continued Tony. "He needn't trouble about making himself beautiful. Tell him I should like to see him at once." The butler withdrew, and a few moments later Bugg appeared in the doorway. He saluted Tony with a cheerful grin, and then, as he caught sight of Isabel, a sudden embarrassment seemed to descend upon his spirit. He coughed apologetically, lowered his eyes, and shuffled slightly with one foot. "Good-morning, Bugg," said Tony. "Come and sit down." Bugg advanced cautiously to the nearest chair and seated himself on the extreme edge. "Mornin', sir," he observed. Then, throwing a nervous glance at Isabel, he added hoarsely, "Pleased to see yer, Miss." "I am very pleased to see you," said Isabel a little shyly. "I want to thank you for what you did last night. I am so sorry they took you to prison." Bugg stared hard at the carpet. "That's all right, Miss," he muttered. "Don't you worry abaht that, Miss." Tony offered Isabel a cigarette, and then lit one himself. "You were magnificent, Bugg," he said. "Tell us what happened after we left." Bugg coughed again. "Well, sir, 'twas this wy, sir. Seein' as you and the young laidy was best aht of it, I jest keeps them two Daigoes busy like withaht puttin' 'em through it. It didn't seem to me as no one was goin' to taike the trouble to foller you when 'e could be standin' there watchin' a scrap fur nothin'." "I hope you didn't get hurt," said Isabel, who, with a slightly bewildered expression, had been trying to follow this narrative. Bugg shook his head. "Not me, Miss. It was jest a 'alf 'oliday fur me till they starts usin' their feet, and then I 'anded 'em a couple of flaps in the jaw quick, an' that steadied 'em. Not as I think they meant no 'arm, Miss. There's parts o' the world where they don't know no better. "Yours is a generous heart, Bugg," said Tony. "What happened next?"