e flung himself into his room,
slamming the door behind him with a force that made the whole house
vibrate.

The narrow room was insupportable. It stifled him. He must get out
into the fresh air or choke.

On the doorstep he met Mr Rimbolt, alighting from his brougham.

"Oh, Jeffreys, so glad to have caught you. Look here. I find I must be
in the House to-night and to-morrow, and I intended to go down to Exeter
to attend that four days' sale of Lord Waterfield's library. I must get
you to go for me. You have the catalogue we went through together, with
the lots marked which I must have. I have put an outside price against
some, and the others must be mine at any price--you understand. Stick
at nothing. Take plenty of money with you for travelling and expenses.
Do things comfortably, and I will give you a blank cheque for the books.
Mind I must have them, if it comes to four figures. Go down by the
Flying Dutchman to-night, and send me a telegram at the end of each day
to say what you have secured."

The proposal came opportunely to Jeffreys. He was in the humour of
accepting anything for a change; and this _carte blanche_ proposal, and
the responsibility it involved, contained a spice of excitement which
suited with his present mood.

He went down to Exeter that night, trying to think of nothing but Lord
Waterfield's books, and to forget all about Raby, and Percy, and Mrs
Rimbolt, and Scarfe.

The last-named hero and his two friends duly presented themselves at
Clarges Street next day. Scarfe was in great good-humour with himself,
and even his antipathies to the world at large were decidedly modified
by the discovery that Jeffreys was out of town.

His two friends were of the gay and festive order--youths who would have
liked to be considered fast, but betrayed constantly that they did not
yet know the way how.

Percy, with his usual facile disposition, quickly fell into the ways of
the trio, and rather enjoyed the luxury of now and then getting a rise
out of the undergrads by showing that "he knew a thing or two" himself.

They spent their first few days together in "going it"--that is, in
seeing and doing all they could. Scarfe's friends began shyly, feeling
their way both with their host and hostess and with their son. But then
they saw that Mr Rimbolt was far too engrossed to think of anything
beyond that they should all enjoy themselves and do as they liked--when
they saw that Mrs Rimbolt s