Its cheerful vacuity had changed to stony contempt.
For the second time in the evening the jolly old scales had fallen
from Freddie's good old eyes, and, as Jill had done, he saw Derek as
he was.

"My sainted aunt!" he said slowly. "So that's it, what? Well, I've
always thought a dashed lot of you, as you know. I've always looked up
to you as a bit of a nib and wished I was like you. But, great Scott!
if that's the sort of a chap you are, I'm deuced glad I'm not! I'm
going to wake up in the middle of the night and think how unlike you I
am and pat myself on the back! Ronny Devereux was perfectly right. A
tick's a tick, and that's all there is to say about it. Good old Ronny
told me what you were, and, like a silly ass, I wasted a lot of time
trying to make him believe you weren't that sort of chap at all. It's
no good standing there looking like your mother," said Freddie firmly.
"This is where we jolly well part brass-rags! If we ever meet again,
I'll trouble you not to speak to me, because I've a reputation to keep
up! So there you have it in a bally nutshell!"

Scarcely had Freddie ceased to administer it to his former friend in a
bally nutshell, when Uncle Chris, warm and dishevelled from the dance
as interpreted by Mrs. Waddesleigh Peagrim, came bustling up, saving
Derek the necessity of replying to the harangue.

"Well, Underhill, my dear fellow," began Uncle Chris affably,
attaching himself to the other's arm, "what...?"

He broke off, for Derek, freeing his arm with a wrench, turned and
walked rapidly away. Derek had no desire to go over the whole thing
again with Uncle Chris. He wanted to be alone, to build up, painfully
and laboriously, the ruins of his self-esteem. The pride of the
Underhills had had a bad evening.

Uncle Chris turned to Freddie.

"What is the matter?" he asked blankly.

"I'll tell you what's the jolly old matter!" cried Freddie. "The
blighter isn't going to marry poor Jill after all! He's changed his
rotten mind! It's off!"

"Off?"

"Absolutely off!"

"Absolutely off?"

"Napoo!" said Freddie. "He's afraid of what will happen to his blasted
career if he marries a girl who's been in the chorus."

"But, my dear boy!" Uncle Chris blinked. "But, my dear boy! This is
ridiculous.... Surely, if I were to speak a word...."

"You can if you like. _I_ wouldn't speak to the man again if you paid
me! But it won't do any good, so what's the use?"

Slowly Uncle Chris adjusted his mind to