Tony shook his head. "I think we can manage that for you," he said. "The house is full of strong, idle men." He got up from the desk. "Come along and let me introduce you to the library, and then you can find yourself something to read." He led the way across the hall, and as he opened the door of the apartment in question Isabel gave a little exclamation of surprise and pleasure. "Oh, but what a lovely lot of books!" she said. "I should never have guessed you were so fond of reading." "I'm not," said Tony. "I never read anything except Swinburne and _The Autocar_. Most of these belonged to my grandfather. Books were a kind of secret vice with him. He collected them all his life and left them to me in his will because he was quite sure they would never get any thumb-marks on them." Isabel laughed softly, and advancing to the nearest case began to examine the titles. Tony watched her for a moment, and then strolling out into the hall, made his way back to the morning-room, where he pressed the electric bell. "Spalding," he said, when that incomparable retainer answered his summons, "I have invited Miss Francis to make use of the house and garden as much as she pleases. When I am not in I shall be obliged if you will see that she has everything she wants." Spalding's face remained superbly impassive. "Certainly, Sir Antony," he replied, with a slight bow. "And send Bugg here," added Tony. "I want to speak to him before I go out." Spalding withdrew, and after a moment or two had elapsed, "Tiger" appeared on the threshold hastily swallowing a portion of his interrupted lunch. "Sorry to disturb you, Bugg," said Tony, "but I want you to do something for me, if you will." "You on'y got to give it a naime, sir," observed the Tiger with a final and successful gulp. "I want you to go out in the car this afternoon, as well as Jennings. Miss Francis is going to do some shopping, and it's just possible that the two gentlemen who were annoying her last night might try the same thing again." Bugg's grey-green eyes opened in honest amazement. "Wot!" he exclaimed. "Ain't they 'ad enough yet? W'y if I'd knowed that I'd 'ave laid fur the tall one and give 'im another shove in the jaw w'en 'e come outer Court this mornin'." He paused and took an indignant breath. "Wot's their gaime any way, sir--chaisin' a young lidy like that?" Tony shook his head. "I don't know exactly, Bugg," he said, "but whatever it is I mean to put a stop to it. It is our duty to encourage a high moral standard amongst the inferior races." "Cert'nly, sir," observed Bugg approvingly. "I always says with a German or a Daigo it's a caise of 'it 'im fust an' argue with 'im arterwards. You can't maike no mistake then, sir." "It seems a good working principle," admitted Tony. "Still there are occasions in life when strategy--you know what strategy is, Bugg?----"