an off to the boat, which we afterwards
found he had been letting out on hire to small boys at a penny a
head.

The return journey was accomplished without any remarkable incidents,
and on reaching home I found a very pressing invitation from Girlie's
mother for the whole party to attend her "At Home" the next day.

It appears that this lady had called upon me while we were out, and
Mrs. Putchy had told her of the Wallypug's arrival.

His Majesty was good enough to say that he should be delighted to
accept, and so I wrote off at once to say that she might expect us.

CHAPTER IV

LOST

We had a terrible fright the next morning, for the poor dear Wallypug
got lost, and for some time we could not imagine what had become of
him.

It happened in this way: directly after breakfast his Majesty said
that he should like to go for a walk and look at the shops.

"I'm not going," declared the Doctor-in-Law. "I have some _very_
important letters to write."

We all looked up in surprise, for we did not know that the
Doctor-in-Law had any other acquaintances in London.

"Letters from which I hope to derive a princely income," continued
the little man grandly; "and, therefore, I have no time for such
foolishness as looking into shop windows."

"He's afraid thad he bight have to sped sub buddy," remarked
A. Fish, Esq.

"Nothing of the sort," replied the Doctor-in-Law, turning very red
though.

"Well, don't waste time talking about it; let's go if we are going,"
said the Rhymester; and so, as I also had some correspondence to
attend to, it was arranged that the Wallypug, the Rhymester, and A.
Fish, Esq., should go for a little stroll by themselves. I had some
doubts in my own mind as to the advisability of letting them go alone,
but they promised not to go beyond Kensington Gardens, and to wait for
me there just inside the gates.

After they had gone I settled down to my letter-writing, and was
getting along nicely when the Doctor-in-Law interrupted me with:

"I say, I wish you would let me have about twenty sheets of
note-paper, will you, please?"

"Twenty!" I exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes, twenty," said the Doctor-in-Law. "Or you had better make it
a quire while you are about it."

I thought the quickest way to get rid of him was to give him the
paper, so I got up and got it for him.

"And a packet of envelopes, please," he said, as I handed it to him.

"Anything else?" I asked rather sarcastically.