ery maudlin and drunk, and Ninian thought that
he ought to be kicked.

"I'm shorry," he said, "to be thish con ... condish'n, gemmem, but y'see
it's like this. A gemman said to me, y'see, 'Bert,' 'e says ... thash my
name ... Bert, called after Queen's 'usban' ... Gaw' bless 'er!...
Alber' the Goo' they called '_im_ ... not me, oh, Lor' no!... thish
gemmam, 'e says to me, 'Bert,' 'e says, 'come an' 'ave one!' an' so o'
course I '_ad_ to 'ave one. Thash 'ow 'twas, see! Shorry to be in thish
disgrashful state ... thish sad occas'n, gemmem. Very shorry! _I_ thank
you!" He turned to leave them, staggering towards the door. "I ain't
been a good 'usban' to 'er," he went on, again making the jerking
gesture over his shoulder with his thumb. "Thash a fac'. I ain't. But I
'pologise. I'm shorry! Can't say no more'n that, can I? Goo'-ni',
gemmem!"

And then he staggered out.

"Somebody ought to do him in," said Ninian, going to see that he left
the house as quickly as possible.

"Well," said Roger, when Ninian had returned, "what are we going to do
next?"

"Sack Magnolia," said Gilbert.

"And then?" Roger went on.

"I don't know," Gilbert replied.

"I suppose we can get another housekeeper," Henry suggested.

"Yes, we could do that," said Gilbert.

Roger got up and moved about the room for a few moments. "I think I
shall get married," he said at last. "I've got to get married some time,
and I might as well get married now. This ... this business seems to
provide an opportunity, don't you think?"

"It's a pity to break up the house," Gilbert murmured.

"It'll have to be broken up some day," Roger retorted.

Ninian joined in. "There's talk of a big railway contract in South
America, and I might have to go. Hare spoke of sending me. In about six
months' time...."

"We might let the house furnished for the remainder of the lease," Roger
went on. "Perhaps some one would take the furniture over altogether....
I could use some of it, of course, for my house when I get married!"

"You've settled it then!" said Gilbert.

"Not exactly. I haven't said anything to Rachel yet. The idea occurred
to me in the chapel while the parson was saying the Burial Service!"

"I could have hit that fellow," Gilbert exclaimed. "Gabbling it off like
that! I suppose he was in a hurry to get home to tea!"

They sat in silence for a while, each of them conjuring up the
vision of the cold little service in the cemetery chapel. Magnolia,
c