; and on the Crazy Bridge Ranny's
delirious devil seized her and carried her away, reckless, into the
Dragon's Gorge.

Emerging as it were from the very jaws of the Dragon, they careered arm
in arm through the rest of the Exhibition, two rushing portents of youth
and extravagance and laughter; till, as if the Enchantress had twisted
her wand and whisked them there, they found themselves inside the
palisades of the Igorrote Village.

A swarm of half-naked savages leaped at them.

It was Ranny who recovered first.

"It's all right, Winky. They're the Philippine Islanders."

"Well, I never--"

"Nor I. Talk of travelin'--"

But it was all very well to talk. The sight had sobered them. Gravely
and silently they went through that village. At last, Ranny paused
outside a hut no bigger than a dog-kennel. It bore the label: "Beda And
His Fiancee Kodpat Undergoing Trial Marriage."

Ranny laughed. "By Jove, that tickles _me_!" he said.

"What does it mean, Ranny?"

"Why, I suppose it means they try it first and if they don't like it
they can chuck it."

"What an idea!"

"It's a rippin' good idea, Winky. Shows what a thunderin' lot of sense
these simple savages have got. You bet they're not quite so simple as
they seem. They know a thing or two. Why, they must be hundreds of years
ahead of us in civilization, to have thought it all out like that. Think
of it, that fellow Beda's had a better chance than me."

They turned away from Beda and Kodpat, and presently Winny stood
entranced before the little house that contained Baby Francis (born in
the Exhibition) and his mother. She looked so long at Baby Francis that
Ranny couldn't bear it.

"Oh, look at him, Ranny! Isn't he a little lamb?" Winny's eyes were
tender, and her face quivered with a little dreamy smile.

"D'you want to take him home and play with him? Shall I ask if he's for
sale?"

"Oh, Ranny!"

She turned away. And he drew her arm in his. "You won't be happy till
you've got him, Winky."

She said nothing to that; only her mouth, without her knowing it, kept
for him its little dreamy smile.

"I believe," said Ranny, "you've never reelly got over Stanley's goin'
into knickers."

"I _love_ his knickers," she protested.

"Yes, but you'd love _him_ better if he was that size, wouldn't you?"

"I couldn't love him better than I do, Ranny. You know I couldn't. And I
wouldn't like him to be any different to what he is."

She was very serious, very ea