Part 30 (2/2)

”What do you mean?” asked Lionel, puzzled ”What do you know of ed

”That is part of the feuilleton,” he said ”As soon as you like, we shall exchange stories Meanwhile, per”

He went off again, whistling, leaving his questioners unsatisfied In spite of the le, both Lionel and his hostess felt an instinctive liking for Tony It had been Miss Arkwright's idea to set hiested a medieval treatment of bread-and-water in a locked chas were naturally out of the question But Miss Arkwright was original in her methods, and after an intervieith the unabashed intruder, had given hiht elect for the eon beneath the arden on parole She saas a gentle addition to The Quiet House

So Tony was ad-roos and afternoons he spent in forced labor, a victim of the _corvee_; his mid-day meal and ”four o'clocks” were har-shed It was curious to observe a gri-rooe suit, with hair carefully parted When he played or sang to theruous, but they were all adaptable creatures and there was no constraint

Thisit was very hot, and Lionel and Winifred went back to the hammock-chairs in the shade The heat es see heavily in the atretfully of slaves in offices, clerks on stools, perspiring operators in factories For, whether it be hot or cold, work has to be done by all save the leisured classes And even they are sometimes compelled to exert themselves either by force of circumstances or a sense of duty

It was the latter spur that roused the Reverend Charles Peters to get to work on his sermon for next Sunday True, there were still three days'

grace; but it had been his iin to write his ser short of a new heresy in the 's newspaper could have kept hiarden teested the pleasures of a brisk walk--whether he felt _disponiert_ and stored with telling phrases, or eestion was in first-class order or cried aloud for a liver-pill,--whatever conditions obtained, duty and habit drew Mr Peters to a task not uncongenial So, on thishe went to his work as usual, despite the heat, not slothful enough to delve in a well-filled drawer and read over some ”cold meat” for his parishi+oners

He established hi-roo ”turned out”

As a preliminary he threw open both s and rehted a pipe and settled down to arrange his thoughts He had not beenfor more than ten minutes when his wife came in

”The milkman's account, Charles,” she said ”Can you settle it now?”

”Certainly,his cash-box ”It's extrereed Mrs Peters, waiting for the money ”But, Charles----”

”Yes,your sermon in shi+rt-sleeves?”

”It's extremely hot, Clara”

”Yes But a _serhed

”Would you have lass ith incense burning round elical----!!!”

”I was only joking, Clara,” said the vicar quickly ”Of course, I shouldn't dream of----”

”I do not think one should be flippant under such circumstances

shi+rt-sleeves and a pipe! My dear Charles----”

The vicar moved a little restlessly

”My dear Clara, the day's very hot and I' to be ashamed of If the bishop of London called I's,” said the housemaid at the door, and Robert entered with a troubled ar speed His wife, true to her salt, interposed between her husband and the visitor,a few banal remarks about the weather She did not shake hands