doubt," I interjected, "that we are actually
engaged?"

"Not a blooming shadow," assured me Jarman, cheerfully, "so far as she's
concerned."

"I shall tell her plainly," I explained, "that I was drunk at the time."

"And 'ow are you going to convince 'er of it?" asked Jarman. "You think
your telling 'er you loved 'er proves it. So it would to anybody else,
but not to 'er. You can't expect it. Besides, if every girl is going to
give up 'er catch just because the fellow 'adn't all 'is wits about 'im
at the time--well, what do you think?" He appealed to Minikin.

To Minikin it appeared that if such contention were allowed girls might
as well shut up shop.

Jarman, who now that he had "got even" with Minikin, was more friendly
disposed towards that young man, drew his chair closer to him and
entered upon a private and confidential argument, from which I appeared
to be entirely excluded.

"You see," explained Jarman, "this ain't an ordinary case. This chap's
going to be the future Poet Laureate. Now, when the Prince of Wales
invites him to dine at Marlborough 'ouse, 'e don't want to go there
tacked on to a girl that carries aitches with her in a bag, and don't
know which end of the spoon out of which to drink 'er soup."

"It makes a difference, of course," agreed Minikin.

"What we've got to do," said Jarman, "is to get 'im out of it. And upon
my sivvy, blessed if I see 'ow to do it!"

"She fancies him?" asked Minikin.

"What she fancies," explained Jarman, "is that nature intended 'er to be
a lady. And it's no good pointing out to 'er the mistake she's making,
because she ain't got sense enough to see it."

"No good talking straight to her," suggested Minikin, "telling her that
it can never be?"

"That's our difficulty," replied Jarman; "it can be. This chap"--I
listened as might a prisoner in the dock to the argument of counsel,
interested but impotent--"don't know enough to come in out of the rain,
as the saying is. 'E's just the sort of chap this sort of thing does
'appen to."

"But he don't want her," urged Minikin. "He says he don't want her."

"Yes, to you and me," answered Jarman; "and of course 'e don't. I'm
not saying 'e's a natural born idiot. But let 'er come along and do
a snivel--tell 'im that 'e's breaking 'er 'eart, and appeal to 'im to
be'ave as a gentleman, and all that sort of thing, and what do you think
will be the result?"

Minikin agreed that the problem presented difficulties.

"