Part 33 (1/2)

Edward Henry had an alive it a glance at the oddest moments And just now he had a swift and violent desire to behold it With all speed the taxi shot down Shaftesbury Avenue and swerved to the right

There it was! Yes, it really existed, the incredible edifice of his caprice and of Mr Alloyd's constructive iht of fifteen feet; and, dozen of yards above that, cranes do loads of bricks in the azure; and scores of workmen crawled about beneath these le act of volition, was the author of it!

He slipped froazed, just gazed! A wondrous thing--hu ht be the seed of a new renown coht! He turned his eyes away, in fear--yes, in fear!

”I say,” he said ”Will Sir John Pilgrilanced at his watch The hour was about eleven

”He'll be at breakfast”

”I' to see him, then What's his address?”

”25 Queen Anne's Gate But do you knaow him? I do Shall I cao on with et me another taxi I'll see you in my rooreed Mr Marrier, subent Theatre”

These were the words which Edward Henry wrote on a visiting-card and which procured him immediate admittance to the unique spectacle--reputed to be one of the rim at breakfast

In a very spacious front-room of his flat (so celebrated for its Gobelins tapestries and its truly wonderful parquet-flooring) sat Sir John Pilgriany table At one side of the table a sed, and on this square were an apparatus for boiling eggs, another forcoffee Sir John, with the assistance of a young Chinaman and a fox-terrier, who flitted around hi The vast rely bare, save for newspapers and letters opened and unopened which Sir John tossed about Opposite to him sat a secretary whose fluffy hair, neat white _cheave her an appearance of helpless fragility in front of the powerful and ruthless celebrity

Sir John's cri from the left half of a lovely new pair of brown trousers, and resting on a piece of white paper Before this white paper knelt aan outline on the paper round Sir John's foot

”You _are_ a boot airily

”Yes, Sir John”

”Excuse me!” said Sir John ”I only wanted to be sure I fancied froht be an artist on one of the illustrated papers Myhiton, did you notice my pose then--my expression as I used the word 'caressed'? Hoould that do?”

And Edward Henry now observed in a corner of the roo sorossly thereon in charcoal This man said:

”If you won't bother ton! Ah! Givington!” murmured Sir John still”You're getting on in the world You aren't o you'd never have had the courage to address ratulate you Here, Snip, here's ! Worry it!” (The dog growled now over a torn docuht see that a _co to Mr Saracen Givington, ARA, this ton are of interest to the world, and rightly so! You'd better coht foot, Mr

Boot”

And then, and not till then, did Sir John Pilgried blond face in the direction of Alderman Edward Henry Machin

”Pardon my curiosity,” said Sir John, ”but who are you?”

”My name is Machin--Alderman Machin,” said Edward Henry ”I sent up my card and you asked”Will you crack an egg withwith anybody”

”Thanks,” said Edward Henry ”I'll be very glad to” And he advanced towards the table

Sir John hesitated The fact was that, though he dissembled his dismay with marked histrionic skill, he was unquestionably overwhelmed by astonishment In the course of years he had airily invited hundreds of callers to crack an egg with him--the joke was one of his favourites--but nobody had ever ventured to accept the invitation