“On the font it was Selina Kensit, sir, they called me, but now it’s Mrs. Puffin really, though me ’usbin’ always called ’isself Grimaldi, perfessional like. I wish as you could ’a’ seen ’im, sir! W’y, ’e could put ’is ’ead through ’is legs and then juggle with lit candles and live ferrets fit to frighten you into pepilipsis. It gave me a fair turn, it did, first time as ever I see ’im. But soon I didn’t so much as turn an ’air. You see, I was an artiste meself.” She nodded. “And were _you_ a contortionist too, Mrs. Grimaldi?” Gaveston asked, looking with amazement at her elephantine form, bulging and bursting in every direction from the crimson bombazine that vainly essayed to hold it in. “Lor’ bless you, sir, I should ’ope not!” “But what then----?” “I dove.” “Dove?” “From the top of the ’ippodrome, sir.” Gaveston roared with laughter. “Into a teacup, I know!” he cried. “You will ’ave your joke, sir, I can see,” smiled Mrs. Grimaldi, preening herself. “Beauty Clegg, the Bermondsey Mermaid, they called me on the programme, and my magenta tights suited me a treat, though I says it as shouldn’t.” “I believe they still would, Mrs. Grimaldi,” he threw in, winningly. “But after our marriage, Mr. Puffin was earnin’ good money, and ’e didn’t care about my goin’ on with me divin’, though ’e admitted straight that I ’ad a career in front of me. But besides, I was puttin’ on flesh.” The landlady gave a pathetic heave of her enormous frame. “So I lived like a lady afterwards.” “And how long have you been here, then?” Gav asked. “Well, twenty years ago, Mr. Grimaldi, ’e went before; and I was ’ard put to it till I set up ’ere.” “I’m sorry to think that, Mrs. Grimaldi.” “Oh, no one can say as ever I was gay meself, though I did ’ave me troubles. But the p’lice are that interfering, reg’lar nosy Parkers, _I_ call ’em--but Lor’ bless you, sir, young gentlemen will be young gentlemen, now won’t they?--and my girls never made no complaints. Reg’lar mothered them, I did, and …” “I’m sure you did, Mrs. Grimaldi,” Gaveston interrupted, feeling that the ground grew delicate. Henceforward he had better restrict his questionings to the professional period of his landlady’s varied career.