hirping
and twittering and hopping. Fact, I assure you!

_The Curate_. Dear me--I should scarcely have--

[_He gradually comes to the conclusion that he is being
trifled with, and after a few moments of uncomfortable
silence, gets up and quits the room with dignity._

_Podb._ (_to himself_). _One_ of 'em gone! Now if I can only clear
these old tabbies out, I can tackle CULCHARD. (_Aloud, to Chaplain's
Wife._) You don't happen to know if there's a good doctor here, I
suppose? A lady was saying in the Musik-saal--the lady with the three
daughters who came this afternoon--that she was afraid they were in
for bad feverish colds or something, and asking who there was to call
in.

_The C.'s W._ Oh, I've no belief in foreign doctors. I always find a
few drops of aconite or pulsatilla,--I have my homoeopathic case with
me now. Perhaps, if I went and had a talk with her I could--[_She goes
out energetically._

_Podb._ Another gone! (_To the Old Maids._) So you ain't going down
to the Cloisters to-night? I'm told there's to be some fun
there--Hide-and-seek, or something--first-rate place for it,
especially now the moon's up!

_First Old Maid_. Nobody told _us_ a word about it. Hide-and-seek--and
in those quaint old Cloisters too--It sounds delightful! What do you
say, TABITHA. Shall we just--? Only to look _on_, you know. We needn't
_play_, unless--

[_The Two Old Maids withdraw in a pleased flutter. PODBURY
crosses to CULCHARD._

_Podb._ (_with determination_). Look here, CULCHARD, I'd just like to
know what you mean by the way you're going on.

_Culch._ I thought we were both agreed that discussions of this kind--

_Podb._ It's all bosh our travelling together if we're not to have any
discussions. You've been on the sulk long enough. And I'll thank
you to inform me what you're after here, going about alone with Miss
PRENDERGAST like this, in the Museum with her all the morning, and on
the lake again this afternoon,--it won't _do_, you know!

_Culch._ If she happens to prefer my society to yours and her
brother's, I presume you have no claim to interfere.

_Podb._ I don't know about that. How about Miss TROTTER?

_Culch._ If I remember rightly, you yourself were not insensible to
Miss TROTTER's--er--attractions?

_Podb._ Perhaps not; but I am not engaged to her--you _are_. You told
me so in the train.

_Culch._ You entirely misunderstood me. There was no definite
understanding between us-