that we'd always stand by each other whatever happened;
and so we have, and so we would again if we were going to be together
any longer." ("Hear, hear!") "I wish 'Rats' could have joined us, but
then I suppose it wouldn't have been the Triple Alliance. However, now
it's finished with; but before we break it up, I'm going to call upon
you to drink the health of Mr. Mugford. May he have long life and
happiness, and a jolly fine house, with a model railway, and a lake for
boating in the grounds, and ask us all to come and stay with him
whenever we feel inclined."

This sentiment was received with shouts of applause, and in honouring it
the jam-pots were drained to their muddy dregs.

No one expected that Mugford would reply, for he was decidedly a man of
few words; but on this occasion he rose above his usual self, and
sitting with his hands in his trouser pockets, his feet on the fender of
the stove, and his chin sunk forward on his breast, delivered himself as
follows. The room was already growing dark with the early winter
twilight, which perhaps rendered it more easy for him to undertake the
task of responding to the toast.

"You've always been very kind to me," he began, speaking rather quickly.

"No, we haven't," interrupted Jack Vance.

"Yes, you have. Just shut up; I'm going to say what I like. You made
friends with me because I happened to be in the same room at The
Birches; but you always stuck to me, and helped me along a lot when we
came here first. I know I'm stupid, and sometimes I feel I'm a coward;
but I enjoyed being with you, and shall always remember the times we've
had together--yes, I swear I shall--always. And now I've got a drop of
cocoa left, so I'm going to propose a toast. You must take 'Rats' in my
place. I hope you'll have heaps of larks; and you must write me a
letter sometimes and tell me what you're doing. Here goes--The new
_Triple Alliance!_"

It was customary to laugh at whatever Mugford said, but on this occasion
not even a smile greeted the conclusion of his remarks.

Only Diggory spoke. "No, we shan't have another Triple Alliance; now
it's going to end."

He turned, and taking something out of the biscuit-tin, said solemnly,
"I, Diggory Trevanock, do hereby declare that the association known as
the Triple Alliance is now dissolved; in token of which I break this bit
of a flat ruler, used by us as a sugar-spoon, into three parts, one of
which I present to each of