re'll be oysters and coffee and all sorts of good things
to eat, and we'd like most awfully to have you join us if you will. Mary
Ellen would be proud to entertain a friend of ours. Wouldn't she Angel?"

"Yes, and Tony can come too!" cried Angel. "We'll have a _regular_ party!"

"Yes, yes, I will come to da party," said Tony, quickly, "I am vera hungry.
You will egsplain to Mees Marie Ellen, yes?"

"John can 'splain _anything_," put in The Seraph.

"Oh, please come!" I pleaded, dragging the young man down the side passage.
He suffered himself to be led as far as the back entrance, but, once there,
he halted.

"Tony and I shall wait here," he said, "and you'll go in and send your Mary
Ellen out to inspect us. We shall see what she thinks of such a surprise
party before we venture in, eh, Tony?" He gave a queer little laugh.

"Yes, yes," said Tony, "I will leave da organ out sida, but Anita mus' come
in. She is vera good monk in a party."

III

We three entered breathlessly. Who can describe the babble of our
explanations and appeals to Mary Ellen's hospitality, and her reproaches
for the fright we had given her? Howbeit, when the first clamour subsided,
we perceived that Mary Ellen's Mr. Watlin was ensconced behind the stove,
looking tremendously dressed up and embarrassed. He now came forward and
shook each of us by the hand, quite enveloping our little paws in a great
expanse of warm thick flesh, smelling of scented soap.

The greetings over, Mary Ellen and he conferred for a moment in the corner,
then Mr. Watlin creaked across the kitchen on tiptoe (I fancy he could not
yet bring himself to believe in Mrs. Handsomebody's entire absence from the
house) and disappeared through the outer door into the yard where the young
man and Tony and Anita waited.

"Now," said Mary Ellen, sternly, "ye've just got to abide by Mr. Watlin's
decision. If he says they're passable, why, in they come, an' if he gives
'em their walkin' ticket, well an' good, an' not a squeak out o' ye. I've
had about enough o' yer actions for wan day!"

"But he's a gentleman, Mary Ellen!" I insisted.

"Ay, an' the monkey's a lady, no doubt! I know the kind!" I had never seen
Mary Ellen so sour.

But our fears for our friends were set at rest, for at that instant, the
door opened and Mr. Watlin entered, followed by the young man and Tony,
with Anita perching on his shoulder. Mary Ellen could not refrain from a
broad smile at the spectacle. Th