"Oh, it's you two again, is it?" said Miss Jerrold, in a tone of voice which might have been borrowed from her brother, as Stratton and Guest were shown up into her pretty little drawing room, where she sat ready to preside over her china tea tray with its quaint Sevres cups and saucers and parcel gilt apostle spoons, while a tall stand was on her left with its bronze kettle humming and whispering, and uttering a pleasant coo now and then, as it felt the warm kisses of the spirit lamp. Stratton's brows contracted and a look of resentment darted from his eyes as he stopped short, but Guest laughed and said airily: "Yes; it is your humble servant once again." "Well, and what do you want?" "Hear that, Stratton?" said Guest. "A lady sends you her cards, `At home, Thursday, four to six;' we go to the expense of new lavender kids--no, come what may, I will be truthful, mine are only freshly cleaned--and new hats--no, truth shall prevail! a gloss over from the hatter's iron--drag ourselves all this way west to pay our devoirs--to drink tea out of thimbles, and eat slices of butter thinly sprinkled with bread crumbs, and the lady says, `What do you want?'" "Of course I do. There, sit down, both of you, and, Malcolm Stratton, don't put on that wicked, melodramatic frown; it does not become you. You're a pair of impostors. Think I'm blind? You don't come here to call upon a poor old woman like--Quick, Percy, my dear boy! Blow it out; we shall have the room in a blaze." "No, no, be cool," said Guest, and he made for the spirit kettle, whose lamp had become overheated, and was sending up quite a volume of flame. But Stratton was nearer, and taking out his handkerchief, he turned it into a pad, dabbed it on the lamp, and the light was smothered. "Oh, dear me!" sighed Miss Jerrold in tones full of relief, "now, that was very clever. I do like presence of mind. Sugar, Mr Stratton?" He bowed stiffly. "Haven't burned yourself, have you, my dear?" "Oh, no; my glove protected my hand," said Stratton, looking at the stiff, formal, handsome old body; half amused, half pleased, by the maternal "my dear." "Ah, now you're smiling at me," she said quickly. "Sugar, Percy?" "A good deal, please, to take the taste of your harsh words out of my mouth." "There, then--two lumps. I know you take sugar, Malcolm Stratton, and cream. Well, my dear, I'm obliged to speak out; for you really are a pair of impostors, and I cannot have my house made a meeting place for would-be lovers. There--there--there, Mr Stratton, don't pray turn like that, and look as if you were going to rush away. Mine is a very delicate position, and I know my brother will be taking me to task some day about all this. Now, do take my advice; and give it all up--Percy Guest, if you break that cup I'll never forgive you. It cannot be matched."