ce's
sensitive face narrowly, and he asked no further questions.

"I seem to be honoured with much company this morning," he said
instead, looking round the group on the threshold. "What are you
all doing, if I may ask?"

"Looking for Peter, grandfather," explained Herbert uncomfortably,
certain that Mr. Chase was annoyed. "We've been hunting for him for
the last hour."

"I've had the pleasure of his society for about that space of
time," said Mr. Chase. "I have had to give an account of how many
black men and how many Chinkees I employ about the place; whether I
wouldn't rather live in Queensland if I had a hundred pounds of my
own; and how long I sleep in the winter. I don't know why he wants
to know that, I am sure."

"Oh," said Peter quickly, "because Bob says people in England sleep
like dormice in the winter, and have to be wakened by big knockers
on the door."

"I see," said Mr. Chase gravely, "your friend Bob seems to know
more about England than I do--probably because I sleep right
through the winter. Now, if you have asked everything you can think
of, perhaps you will take your tribe away with you, Peter Perky."

The twins jumped violently at the name, and stared at the speaker
in astonishment. No one but Aunt Dorothy had ever called Peter
that.

"I should like to know if you roll up when you sleep, or lie flat,"
Peter said, not feeling at all anxious to go. "Aunt Dorothy always
called me a dormouse at night--"

"You can go, Peter," interrupted Mr. Chase hurriedly; "I am busy."

Herbert took the child by the shoulder and marched him out of the
room.

"Peter, how could you?" exclaimed Brenda, when they reached the
schoolroom.

"How could I what?" demanded Peter, looking puzzled.

"Why, speak about poor Aunt Dorothy before grandfather," said the
girl. "Nobody does; he can't bear it."

"Can't he?" said Peter mildly; "but he asked me a lot of questions
about her himself. And I told him how she called me Peter Perky,
and all about her saving my life in the wreck."

"What!" interrupted the cousins in a breath; "she did what?"

"Didn't you know?" said Eustace.

"We don't know anything except what that awful cable said," Brenda
said in a low, shaky voice.

Between them the twins and Peter told the whole story. Herbert sat
at the table, his head buried in his hands. Brenda listened with
her back to the speakers, looking away out of the window.

There was a long pause.

"Then," said Herbert h