nt."

"I'm awfully obliged to you," said Hardy.

"It might be as well if we pretended to quarrel," said the invalid,
reflectively, "especially as you are known to be a friend of Nugent's.
We'll have a few words--before my housekeeper if possible, to insure
publicity--and then you had better not come again. Send Silk instead
with messages."

Hardy thanked him and whispered a caution as a footstep was heard on the
landing. The door opened and the nurse, followed by the housekeeper
bearing a tray, entered the room.

"And I can't be worried about these things," said Swann, in an
acrimonious voice, as they entered. "If you are not capable of settling
a simple question like that yourself, ask the office-boy to instruct you.

"It's your work," retorted Hardy, "and a nice mess it's in."

"H'sh!" said the nurse, coming forward hastily. "You must leave the
room, sir. I can't have you exciting my patient."

Hardy bestowed an indignant glance at the invalid.

"Get out!" said that gentleman, with extraordinary fierceness for one in
his weak condition. "In future, nurse, I won't have this person admitted
to my room."

"Yes, yes; certainly," said the nurse. "You must go, sir; at once,
please."

"I'm going," said Hardy, almost losing his gravity at the piteous
spectacle afforded by the house-keeper as she stood, still holding the
tray and staring open-mouthed at the combatants. "When you're tired of
skulking in bed, perhaps you'll come and do your share of the work."

Mr. Swann rose to a sitting position, and his demeanour was so alarming
that the nurse, hastening over to him, entreated him to lie down, and
waved Hardy peremptorily from the room.

"Puppy!" said the invalid, with great relish. "Blockhead!"

[Illustration: "'Puppy!' said the invalid."]

He gazed fixedly at the young man as he departed and then, catching sight
in his turn of the housekeeper's perplexity, laid himself down and buried
his face in the bed-clothes. The nurse crossed over to her assistant
and, taking the tray from her, told her in a sharp whisper that if she
ever admitted Mr. Hardy again she would not be answerable for the
consequences.

CHAPTER XX

Charmed at the ease with which he had demolished the objections of Mr.
Adolphus Swann and won that suffering gentleman over to his plans, Hardy
began to cast longing glances at Equator Lodge. He reminded himself that
the labourer was worthy of his hire, and it seemed moreover a