ith the
disdain and hostility natural to a chauffeur. He did not so much touch
his cap as indicate that it was within reach, and that he could if he
pleased touch it. "It's time you were going, my lady," he said. "Sir
Isaac will be coming back by the five-twelve, and there'll be a nice
to-do if you ain't at home and me at the station and everything in order
again."

Manifestly an abnormal expedition.

"Must we start at once, Clarence?" asked the lady consulting a bracelet
watch. "You surely won't take two hours----"

"I can give you fifteen minutes more, my lady," said Clarence, "provided
I may let her out and take my corners just exactly in my own way."

"And I must give you tea," said Mr. Brumley, rising to his feet. "And
there is the kitchen."

"And upstairs! I'm afraid, Clarence, for this occasion only you
must--what is it?--let her out."

"And no 'Oh Clarence!' my lady?"

She ignored that.

"I'll tell Mrs. Rabbit at once," said Mr. Brumley, and started to run
and trod in some complicated way on one of his loose laces and was
precipitated down the rockery steps. "Oh!" cried the lady. "Mind!" and
clasped her hands.

He made a sound exactly like the word "damnation" as he fell, but he
didn't so much get up as bounce up, apparently in the brightest of
tempers, and laughed, held out two earthy hands for sympathy with a mock
rueful grimace, and went on, earthy-green at the knees and a little more
carefully towards the house. Clarence, having halted to drink deep
satisfaction from this disaster, made his way along a nearly parallel
path towards the kitchen, leaving his lady to follow as she chose to the
house.

"_You'll_ take a cup of tea?" called Mr. Brumley.

"Oh! _I'll_ take a cup all right," said Clarence in the kindly voice of
one who addresses an amusing inferior....

Mrs. Rabbit had already got the tea-things out upon the cane table in
the pretty verandah, and took it ill that she should be supposed not to
have thought of these preparations.

Mr. Brumley disappeared for a few minutes into the house.

He returned with a conscious relief on his face, clean hands, brushed
knees, and his boots securely laced. He found Lady Harman already
pouring out tea.

"You see," she said, to excuse this pleasant enterprise on her part, "my
husband has to be met at the station with the car.... And of course he
has no idea----"

She left what it was of which Sir Isaac had no idea to the groping
speculations of