penalties." He was delighted with his image and went on to elaborate it.
"They broke loose like wild animals from a menagerie. We'd always known
they existed. Sometimes we'd paid surreptitious visits to them in
books," the old eyes blinked cautiously, "the way one goes to the Zoo,
to remind himself that there is a jungle somewhere. But we'd only
regarded them as specimens; we'd never expected to meet them roaming
about the streets loose or coming as domestic pets into our houses. Now
the war's ended and the jungle's all about us; we can't get the animals
back into their cages. Fellows like this General Braithwaite don't help
matters by telling us that we oughtn't to want to get them back----"

"Perhaps he's one of the animals," Tabs interpolated. "You couldn't
expect him to want to be put back."

"Perhaps he is. In fact that's what I've felt about him. That's what's
helped me to make up my mind that he shall see no more of Terry." He
reached out and tapped Tabs' hand, taking it for granted that he was his
ally. "The sight's becoming far too normal--wild beasts everywhere,
sunning themselves in impertinent freedom, as if they were house-cats.
Nobody's shocked at it any longer. Terry isn't. Lloyd George isn't--at
least he pretends he isn't for fear the wild beasts may lose him an
election. No one makes a stand. It's left for private individuals like
ourselves, to----"

"To do what?"

Sir Tobias lost his stride. He blinked reproachfully. "To get them back
into their cages."

For an instant Tabs nearly smiled. "And Adair--is he the first wild
beast we tackle? Have we got to get him back into the cage of matrimony?
Tell me about Adair."

"It was no cage." Sir Tobias spoke almost resentfully. "His home was a
kind of nest and Phyllis was the mother-bird."

The butler had looked in several times to see whether he was free to
clear away. For the first time Sir Tobias became aware of him pottering
in the shadows. "Perhaps we'd better continue in my library."

He pushed back his chair, dropped his napkin, groped after it feebly,
then led the way solemnly across the hall. When he had seated himself
before the fire and fortified his courage with a fresh cigar, he plunged
headlong into the story of his son-in-law's delinquencies.

IX

"How a man who has a daughter of mine for his wife can find attraction
in any other woman is more than I can fathom."

"I agree with you there, sir." Tabs suddenly found himself carried o