eing settled in their places, Judith found opportunity
to whisper to Bruce, who immediately turned to the Belgian, who was
helping Patricia remove her coat.

"You have good custom today, Francois," he said with a gesture toward
the chattering groups at the other tables.

The waiter bowed as he folded the coat carefully.

"Yes, Mr. Haydon, sir," he said clearly. "We do not complain. Our
trade keeps up, sir. We are the same as when you left, sir. We do not
complain."

Patricia laughed at Judith's expression, as she watched Francois whisk
away to the dumb-waiter in the far corner of the little apartment, and
roar stentorian commands in indistinguishable French to an unseen
source of supply below.

"He just uses his French to plot his dark plots with, Judy darlin',"
she said, merrily. "You needn't try to make them out, for he doesn't
intend you to."

"I heard 'Chateaubriand,' anyway," retorted Judith triumphantly. "And
that means beefsteak. So I did understand something, you see."

Bruce made a gesture of mock despair. "Heavens, I'm discovered!" he
cried, with a twinkle. "Judy knows just what she's going to have for
lunch, and there won't be any surprise, after all."

Patricia looked inquiringly at him.

"Is _that_ the grand surprise you meant, Bruce Haydon? Sure you aren't
fooling us? Oh, you are! You've got _something_ else--I know it by
your eyes. You look awfully guilty."

"Do I?" asked Bruce innocently. "I wish there was a mirror here so I
could see how that looks. Here comes Francois with the bouillon and
omelets. Don't let him see me, please, till I've gotten up a better
expression."

Francois served them deftly, while still attending to all the other
tables, and Patricia, in the intervals of merry chatter, wondered at
the innumerable bits of respectful conversation he managed to supply
his patrons in addition to his very satisfactory table service, and she
said so to Bruce, just as the dessert had been placed and Francois had
withdrawn to a party of newcomers.

Bruce, however, was remarkably absent in his reply.

"Yes, he's a wonder," he said, cracking nuts studiously. "I hope he's
as good on breakfasts as he used to be."

"Breakfast!" cried Patricia, bubbling. "Are we going to keep on eating
till----"

"No, no, I didn't mean that," returned Bruce hastily. "I was thinking
of something else."

"The surprise, I am sure," announced Judith calmly. "Let's try to
guess what it is,