"Very good, sir!"

"And--Baxter!"

"Sir?"

"Take a cab!"

"Certainly sir." And Baxter went out, closing the door behind him.
Meanwhile Bellew busied himself in removing all traces of his journey,
and was already bathed, and shaved, and dressed, by the time
Baxter returned.

Now gripped in his right hand Baxter carried a black leather bag which
jingled as he set it down upon the table.

"Got it?" enquired Bellew.

"I have, sir."

"Good!" nodded Bellew. "Now just run around to the garage, and fetch the
new racing car,--the Mercedes."

"Now, sir?"

"Now, Baxter!"

Once more Baxter departed, and, while he was gone, Bellew began to
pack,--that is to say, he bundled coats and trousers, shirts and boots
into a portmanteau in a way that would have wrung Baxter's heart, could
he have seen. Which done, Bellew opened the black bag, glanced inside,
shut it again, and, lighting his pipe, stretched himself out upon an
ottoman, and immediately became plunged in thought.

So lost was he, indeed, that Baxter, upon his return was necessitated to
emit three distinct coughs,--(the most perfectly proper, and
gentleman-like coughs in the world) ere Bellew was aware of
his presence.

"Oh!--that you, Baxter?" said he, sitting up, "back so soon?"

"The car is at the door, sir."

"The car?--ah yes, to be sure!--Baxter."

"Sir?"

"What should you say if I told you--" Bellew paused to strike a match,
broke it, tried another, broke that, and finally put his pipe back into
his pocket, very conscious the while of Baxter's steady, though
perfectly respectful regard.

"Baxter," said he again.

"Sir?" said Baxter.

"What should you say if I told you that I was in love--at last,
Baxter!--Head over ears--hopelessly--irretrievably?"

"Say, sir?--why I should say,--indeed, sir?"

"What should you say," pursued Bellew, staring thoughtfully down at the
rug under his feet, "if I told you that I am so very much, in love that
I am positively afraid to--tell her so?"

"I should say--very remarkable, sir!"

Bellew took out his pipe again, looked at it very much as if he had
never seen such a thing before, and laid it down upon the mantelpiece.

"Baxter," said he, "kindly understand that I am speaking to you
as--er--man to man,--as my father's old and trusted servant and my early
boy-hood's only friend; sit down, John."

"Thank you, Master George, sir."

"I wish to--confess to you, John, that--er--regarding the--er--Haunting