"Nearly finished? For if you're not too breathless to listen I've got a scheme to propose." "Give me one more lisp," said Beth, "and I'm yours for a thousand miles in the Russia leather Pallas Athene, all meals _en route_ provided free." "What I was just going to suggest," said Jimmy, "is that we should run down and dine with Uncle Evie, just to find out about this smuggling stunt of his." "I should be terrified out of my life," said Mary. "I'm not accustomed to Cabinet Ministers, or for the matter of that to titled aristocrats, except you, Jimmy, and nobody would ever take you for an earl." "You needn't be the least bit nervous," said Jimmy. "Uncle Evie is a bit boring at times, but he wouldn't frighten a ten-year-old orphan. We'll send him a wire to say we're coming." "Jimmy," said Beth, "you're priceless! That's another lisp. Absolutely a topper. 'I had the good fortune to be present a few evenings ago at an informal little _al fresco_ dinner given by Sir Evelyn Dent in his fascinating thirteenth century moated grange----'" "There's no moat," said Jimmy, "and it's a Manor House." "What does that matter?" said Beth. "It's old, I suppose. People like your uncle always live in old houses." "It's old, all right," said Jimmy. "Then moated grange is the proper thing to call it when writing the Lispings of Lilith, but if you really prefer it I don't mind calling it an historic pile. 'Sir Evelyn, a dignified and gracious----' What's the masculine of 'châtelaine,' Jimmy?" "'Château,' I should think," said Jimmy, "but don't call poor old Uncle Evie that. He'd hate it." "'Sir Evelyn,'" said Beth, writing as she spoke, "'who between ourselves----' I mean to say '_entre nous_ is something of a _grand seigneur_.'" "I know I'll be petrified with terror," said Mary. "A _grand seigneur_ in a moated grange." "'Among the guests,'" Beth went on, "'was the Earl of Colavon, who was wearing the famous diamond studs which have been in the family since Henry VIII gave them to Anne Boleyn, who was, as everybody knows, one of the ancestors of the Dents,'" "Hang it all, Beth," said Jimmy, "I don't mind your making a fool of me in any ordinary way, but a fellow must draw the line somewhere. Why can't you say that Uncle Evie wore the diamond studs?" "I'm putting him down for the Garter Ribbon," said Beth, "so you must have the diamond studs. Though I don't mind making them pearl if you'd rather. You simply must give the public what it wants if you go in for literature at all." "Well, hurry up," said Jimmy. "It's all of 180 miles down to Uncle Evie's moated grange and I shall have to push the sports model along a bit if we're to get there for the _al fresco_ dinner."