ather abruptly.

Bingham said he did.

"I met him a moment ago. He is taking some lady over the college. I met
him at Middleton's, I think, not so long ago."

"He's a connection of Middleton's," said Bingham.

"Oh," said the Canon, "is he? A remarkable person. He gave me his views
on Eugenics, I remember."

"He would be likely to give you his views," said Bingham. "Did he want
to know yours?"

The Canon laughed. "He pleaded so passionately in favour of our
preserving the leaven of disease in our racial heredity, so as to insure
originality and genius, that I was tempted to indulge in the logical
fallacy: 'A dicto secundum quid ad dictum simpliciter,'" and the Canon
laughed again.

"His father was a first-rate old rapid," said Bingham, "who ended in an
asylum, I believe. His aunt keeps cats; this I know as a fact. His
brother, Lord Boreham, as everybody knows, has been divorced twice. What
matter? The good old scrap-heap has produced Bernard Boreham; what more
do you want?"

Bingham's remarks were uttered with even more than his usual suavity of
tone because he was annoyed. He had come to the Sale, he had bought the
green table-cloth and the shoes, ostensibly as an act of patriotism, but
really in order to meet Mrs. Dashwood. He had planned to take her over
Christ Church and show her everything, and now Boreham, who had also
planned the same thing, had turned up more punctually, had taken her
off, and was at this moment going in and out, banging doors and giving
erroneous information, along with much talk about himself and his ideas
for the improvement of mankind.

The two men walked very slowly along. Bingham was in no hurry. The Canon
also was in no hurry. In these gloomy days he was glad of a few minutes'
distraction in the company of Bingham, whom nothing depressed. They
walked so slowly that Lady Dashwood and Mrs. Potten, who had just
entered the quadrangle, attended by Miss Scott laden with parcels, came
up to them, bowed and passed them on their way to the rooms of one of
the Fellows who had begged them to deposit their parcels and rest, if
they wished to.

The two men went on talking, though their eyes watched the three ladies,
who were looking for the rooms where they were going to deposit their
purchases. Bingham took out his watch. It was half-past three. The
ladies had found the right entrance, and disappeared. Then Lady
Dashwood's face was to be seen for a moment at a window. Simultaneously
Har