re resemblances, too, and what we've got
to do ... the Improved Tories, I mean ... is to discover which is the
more important, the resemblances of men or the differences of men. As a
lawyer, of course, I only know what's in my brief, but as a man, I'm
interested!"

"The question is," said Gilbert, "are women a damned nuisance that ought
to be put down, or are they not? I say they are, but I like 'em all the
same, and that only shows what a blasted hole I'm in. I like kissing
them ... it's no good pretending that I don't...."

"Not a bit," said Ninian.

"And I kiss 'em whenever I get a chance," Gilbert continued, "but all
the same I'd like to be a whopping big icicle so as to be able to ignore
'em ... like Roger!"

Ninian got up, resolved on going to bed. "Come on," he said, stretching
himself. "Our jaw about women doesn't appear to have solved anything!"

"It never will," Roger answered, rising too. "We shall still be jawing
about them this day twelvemonth...."

"D.V.," said Gilbert.

"But we won't get any forrarder!"

"Rum things, women!" said Ninian, moving towards the door, "but very
nice ... very nice, indeed!"

"My goodness me, I am tired," Gilbert yawned. "Oh, so tired! But we've
settled everything, haven't we? The empire and women and so on? Great
Scott," he exclaimed, "we forgot to say anything about God!"

"So we did," said Ninian, and he turned back from the door.

"The Improved Tories really ought to make up their minds about
religion," Gilbert went on.

"Can't we leave that until to-morrow?" Roger complained. "We needn't
talk about Him to-night, need we? I'm frightfully sleepy!..."

6

While Henry was undressing, he remembered how angry Gilbert had been
with Ninian and Roger because they had mentioned the name of a girl for
whom he had cared.

"Awfully rum, that!" he said to himself, sitting on the edge of his bed.

He tried to recall her name. "Lady something!" he said, and then said
several times, "Lady ... Lady ... Lady!..." in the hope that the name
would follow. But he could not remember it.

"Odd that I never heard of her before."

He put on his dressing-gown, and opened the door of his room. "I'll ask
old Ninian," he said, as he went out.

Ninian, who had been yawning so heavily downstairs, was now sitting up
in bed, reading a copy of the _Engineer_.

"Hilloa," he exclaimed as Henry entered the room in response to his
"Come in!"

"I say, Ninian, what was the name of the g