He deliberately avoided my garden-party, although Godfrey had explained to him the night before that my guests would be "quite the funniest lot of bounders to be found anywhere." The Pringles must have been disappointed at not meeting Conroy. Miss Pringle, whose name I found out was Tottie, looked quite pretty in a pink dress, and smiled almost as nicely as she did when Bob Power took her to gather strawberries. Mrs. Pringle asked Godfrey to dine with them that night, and Tottie looked at him out of the corner of her eyes so as to show him that she would be pleased if he accepted the invitation. Pringle himself joined in pressing Godfrey. I suppose he must really have believed in the salary which Godfrey expected to get from Conroy. Godfrey promised to dine with them. He explained his position to me afterwards. "I needn't tell you, Excellency," he said, "that I don't want to go there. I shall get a rotten bad dinner and Mrs. Pringle is a rank outsider." "Miss Pringle," I said, "seems a pleasant girl. She's certainly pretty." "Poor little Tottie!" said Godfrey. "That sort of girl isn't bad fun sometimes; but I wouldn't put up with boiled mutton just for the sake of a kiss or two from her. The fact is--" "Your banking account," I said. "That's it," said Godfrey. "Pringle's directors have been writing rather nasty letters lately. It's perfectly all right, of course, and I told him so; but all the same it's better to accept his invitation." Godfrey is the most unmitigated blackguard I've ever met. "I hardly see Tottie Pringle as the next Lady Kilmore," said Godfrey; "but, of course, that's the game." I do not believe it. Tottie Pringle--I do not for a moment believe that she ever allowed Godfrey to kiss her--does not look the kind of girl who-- "You'll make my excuses to Conroy, won't you, Excellency? Tell him--" "What is the exact amount of the over-draft?" I said; "he'll probably want to know." "Better not say anything about that," said Godfrey. "Tell him I had a business engagement."