rs flopped down and rubbed their flat, black noses on the
curbstone.

"For Heaven's sake get up!" said Horace angrily. "This isn't
Hammersmith. Turn to the left, into the Vauxhall Bridge Road, and ask a
policeman the nearest way to Olympia."

"Be not angry with thy slaves!" said the head driver, in excellent
English. "We are here by command of Fakrash-el-Aamash, our lord, whom we
are bound to obey. And we have brought thee these as gifts."

"My compliments to your master," said Horace, between his teeth, "and
tell him that a London architect has no sort of occasion for camels. Say
that I am extremely obliged--but am compelled to decline them."

"O highly born one," explained the driver, "the camels are not a
gift--but the loads which are upon the camels. Suffer us, therefore,
since we dare not disobey our lord's commands, to carry these trifling
tokens of his good will into thy dwelling and depart in peace."

Horace had not noticed till then that every camel bore a heavy burden,
which the attendants were now unloading. "Oh, if you _must_!" he said,
not too graciously; "only do look sharp about it--there's a crowd
collecting already, and I don't want to have a constable here."

He returned to his rooms, where he found Mrs. Rapkin paralysed with
amazement. "It's--it's all right," he said; "I'd forgotten--it's only a
few Oriental things from the place where that brass bottle came from,
you know. They've left them here--on approval."

"Seems funny their sending their goods 'ome on camels, sir, doesn't it?"
said Mrs. Rapkin.

"Not at all funny!" said Horace; "they--they're an enterprising
firm--their way of advertising."

One after another, a train of dusky attendants entered, each of whom
deposited his load on the floor with a guttural grunt and returned
backward, until the sitting-room was blocked with piles of sacks, and
bales, and chests, whereupon the head driver appeared and intimated that
the tale of gifts was complete.

"I wonder what sort of tip this fellow expects," thought Horace; "a
sovereign seems shabby--but it's all I can run to. I'll try him with
that."

But the overseer repudiated all idea of a gratuity with stately dignity,
and as Horace saw him to the gate, he found a stolid constable by the
railings.

"This won't _do_, you know," said the constable; "these 'ere camels must
move on--or I shall 'ave to interfere."

"It's all right, constable," said Horace, pressing into his hand the
soverei