plendid specimens of what the
Almighty intended the young man to be, I guess?"

Try as I would, I could not keep my lips from quivering with laughter at
the perfect imitation which Mr. Burke gave of the young man who was
certainly worth ten of him in every way, even if he does not speak with
the accent of those who have "come down" (and a good long way, too) from
the Kings of Ireland.

"If you mean Mr. Jessop," I said distantly, "I think he went off with
Miss Vassity and his cousin."

"Ah!" said the Hon. Jim, on a long-drawn note. "Oh! the cousin of the
little Million, is he? Is that it? Does that account for it?"

"Account for what?" I said rather snappishly; and then, feeling rather
afraid that he might answer with something that had nothing to do with
the matter in hand, I went on hastily: "I don't think they can have gone
more than about ten minutes. They will be so glad to see you! You will
easily catch them up if you hurry, Mr. Burke----"

Mr. Burke allowed all the noble reproach of a hunger-striking suffragist
to appear in those blue eyes of his as he looked down at me.

"Child, have you the heart of a stone?" he asked seriously. "'Hurry,'
says she! Hurry! To a starving man who has walked from the Refuge here
on his flat feet, without so much as a crumb of lunch or the memory of a
drink to fortify him! Hurry? Is that all you can think of?"

Well, then, of course----

One can't let a man starve, can one? So----

I was simply forced to do what I could for this undeserving late-comer
in the way of feeding him after his tramp across the downs.

I gave him a seat on the rug. I foraged in the re-packed luncheon
baskets, and got him a clean plate, knives, forks, glass.... I brought
out all that was left by the "Refuge" party of the hunter's beef, the
cold chicken, the ham, the steak-and-kidney pie, and the jam pasty that
had been made by the Serio-girl, who is in her "off" moments a
particularly good cook.

The Honourable Jim did appreciate the meal!

Also he seems to enjoy having a woman to wait hand and foot upon him.

In fact he "made errands" for me among the devastated luncheon baskets
in the shadow of the car.

He demanded pepper (which had been forgotten).

He wanted more claret (when all had been finished).

Finally he demanded whole-meal bread instead of the ordinary kind.

"There isn't any," I said.

"Why not?" he demanded, aggrieved.

I laughed at him across the big table-napkin tha