that the management of the estate would keep me occupied. But
I have no taste for business--none at all. And I found that by leaving
my father's investments precisely as they came to me my affairs could
be simplified. But one must do something. So I engaged Mr. Tidman.
What if I am nearly thirty? Is that any reason why I should give up
being tutored? There is so much to learn! And to-day's period is
especially interesting. We were just about getting to Thorwald the
Bitter."

"Did you say Biter or Batter?" says I.

"I said Thorwald the Bitter," repeats Pettigrew. "One of the old Norse
Vikings, you know."

"Go on, shoot it," says I. "What's the joke?"

"But there's no joke about it," he insists. "Surely you have heard of
the Norse Vikings?"

"Not yet," says I. "I got my ear stretched, though."

"Fancy!" remarks T. Waldo, turnin' to Tidman.

Tidman stares at me disgusted, then hunches his shoulders and grunts,
"Oh, well!"

"And now," says Pettigrew, "it's nearly time for Epictetus."

Sounded something like lunch to me, but I wasn't takin' any hints. I'd
discovered several things that Waldo didn't care for, money being among
'em, and now I was tryin' to get a line on what he did like. So I was
all for stickin' around.

"Possibly," suggests Tidman, smilin' sarcastic, "our young friend is an
admirer of Epictetus."

"I ain't seen many of the big games this year," says I. "What league
is he in?"

"Epictetus," says Waldo, breakin' it to me as gentle as he can, "was a
Greek philosopher. We are reading his 'Discourses.'"

"Oh!" says I. "Not so close, was I? Now, what was his line of
dope--something like the Dooley stuff?"

Waldo and Tidman swaps grins, sort of sly and sheepish, like they
wasn't used to indulgin' in such frivolity. They seemed to enjoy it,
though, and the first thing I know I'm bein' put through a sort of
highbrow third degree, the object being to show up what an empty loft I
wear my pink thatch on.

Course, they didn't have to dig very deep into back-number hist'ry or
B. C. best sellers to prove their case, and when an extra chuckle was
needed I admit I played up my part for all it was worth. Honest, they
develops into a pair of reg'lar cut-ups, and seems to be havin' the
time of their lives discoverin' that I thought Cleopatra must be one of
the Russian ballet and Francis Bacon a new movie star.

"And yet," says Waldo, inspectin' me curious, "your employers intrust
you w