most frightfully?"

"Oh, of course I should. But you see--father's birthday--"

Archie had always thought Lucille the dearest and most unselfish angel
in the world, but never had the fact come home to him so forcibly as
now. He kissed her fondly.

"By Jove!" he exclaimed. "You really are, you know! This is the biggest
thing since jolly old Sir Philip What's-his-name gave the drink of water
to the poor blighter whose need was greater than his, if you recall the
incident. I had to sweat it up at school, I remember. Sir Philip, poor
old bean, had a most ghastly thirst on, and he was just going to
have one on the house, so to speak, when... but it's all in the
history-books. This is the sort of thing Boy Scouts do! Well, of course,
it's up to you, queen of my soul. If you feel like making the sacrifice,
right-o! Shall I bring the pater up here and show him the picture?"

"No, I shouldn't do that. Do you think you could get into his suite
to-morrow morning and hang it up somewhere? You see, if he had the
chance of--what I mean is, if--yes, I think it would be best to hang it
up and let him discover it there."

"It would give him a surprise, you mean, what?"

"Yes."

Lucille sighed inaudibly. She was a girl with a conscience, and that
conscience was troubling her a little. She agreed with Archie that the
discovery of the Wigmore Venus in his artistically furnished suite
would give Mr. Brewster a surprise. Surprise, indeed, was perhaps an
inadequate word. She was sorry for her father, but the instinct of
self-preservation is stronger than any other emotion.

Archie whistled merrily on the following morning as, having driven a
nail into his father-in-law's wallpaper, he adjusted the cord from which
the Wigmore Venus was suspended. He was a kind-hearted young man, and,
though Mr. Daniel Brewster had on many occasions treated him with a good
deal of austerity, his simple soul was pleased at the thought of
doing him a good turn, He had just completed his work and was
stepping cautiously down, when a voice behind him nearly caused him to
overbalance.

"What the devil?"

Archie turned beamingly.

"Hullo, old thing! Many happy returns of the day!"

Mr. Brewster was standing in a frozen attitude. His strong face was
slightly flushed.

"What--what--?" he gurgled.

Mr. Brewster was not in one of his sunniest moods that morning. The
proprietor of a large hotel has many things to disturb him, and to-day
things had been