With a final glance of approval at his handiwork, that well-trained servitor stepped back and pulled out a chair for Tony. "Is everything ready?" inquired the latter. "Quite ready, Sir Antony," replied Spalding. "The copy of the _Times_ is beside your plate, sir. You will find the engineering supplement inside." He brought up another chair for Guy, and then retiring to a small electric lift in the wall, produced the eggs and bacon and porridge which he placed on the sideboard upon a couple of carefully trimmed and already lighted spirit stoves. "You needn't wait, Spalding," said Tony. "I like to help myself at breakfast; it's more in keeping with the best English traditions." Spalding bowed, and crossing to the door closed it noiselessly behind him. Tony began leisurely to pour himself out a cup of tea. "I suppose you have had your breakfast, Guy?" he observed. The latter nodded. "I have," he said, "but if you are going to keep up this excellent habit of early rising, I shall wait for you in future." "Yes, do," said Tony. "Then we can read out the best bits in the _Times_ to each other. Henry and Laura do it every morning at breakfast." He took a sip out of the cup and lighted himself a fresh cigarette. "By the way," he added. "I am going to meet them at lunch to-day." "Where?" inquired Guy. "At Aunt Fanny's. She sent me a sort of S.O.S. call this morning saying that they were coming and imploring help. I can't leave her alone with them. She is getting too old for really hard work." "I believe Aunt Fanny deliberately encourages you to laugh at them," said Guy severely. "I don't want any encouragement," protested Tony, helping himself to a delicately browned piece of toast. "If I didn't laugh at Laura I should weep." "You would do much better if you listened a bit more to what they said. But of course it's no use offering you any advice." "Oh, yes, it is," said Tony. "That's where you wrong me." He leaned back in his chair and looked mischievously across at his cousin. "I pay the most careful attention to everything you tell me, Guy. At the present moment I am seriously thinking of following some advice you gave me yesterday." "What about?" asked Guy suspiciously. Tony broke off a little piece of toast and crunched it thoughtfully between his teeth. "About Cousin Isabel," he replied. Something remarkably like a faint flush of colour mounted into Guy's face. "Really!" he observed with an admirable indifference. Tony nodded gently. "Certain things which have come to my knowledge since have made me feel that perhaps you were right in what you said. I doubt whether I should be justified in risking my political career for the sake of a passing whim. After all one has to think of the country." Guy looked at him with mistrust. "You don't suppose I shall swallow that," he observed.