ly refrain from airing your friends' vocabularies in this house."

"He means you're never to say it again, William," translated Mrs.
Brown sternly. "_Never._"

"All right," said William. "I won't. See? I da--jolly well won't.
Strike me pink. See?"

He departed with an air of scowling mystery and dignity combined,
leaving his parents speechless with amazement.

That afternoon he returned to the White Lion. Mr. Blank was standing
unobtrusively in the shadow of the wall.

"'Ello, young gent," he greeted William, "nice dorg you've got."

William looked proudly down at Jumble.

"You won't find," he said proudly and with some truth, "you won't find
another dog like this--not for _miles_!"

"Will 'e be much good as a watch dog, now?" asked Mr. Blank
carelessly.

"Good?" said William, almost indignant at the question. "There isn't
any sort of dog he isn't good at!"

"Umph," said Mr. Blank, looking at him thoughtfully.

"Tell me about things you've _done_," said William earnestly.

"Yus, I will, too," said Mr. Blank. "But jus' you tell me first 'oo
lives at all these 'ere nice 'ouses an' all about 'em. See?"

[Illustration: WILLIAM DEPARTED WITH AN AIR OF SCOWLING MYSTERY,
LEAVING HIS PARENTS SPEECHLESS WITH AMAZEMENT]

William readily complied, and the strange couple gradually wended
their way along the road towards William's house. William stopped at
the gate and considered deeply. He was torn between instincts of
hospitality and a dim suspicion that his family would not afford to
Mr. Blank that courtesy which is a guest's due. He looked at Mr.
Blank's old green-black cap, long, untidy hair, dirty, lined, sly old
face, muddy clothes and gaping boots, and decided quite finally that
his mother would not allow him in her drawing-room.

"Will you," he said tentatively, "will you come roun' an' see our back
garden? If we go behind these ole bushes and keep close along the
wall, no one'll see us."

To William's relief Mr. Blank did not seem to resent the suggestion of
secrecy. They crept along the wall in silence except for Jumble, who
loudly worried Mr. Blank's trailing boot-strings as he walked. They
reached a part of the back garden that was not visible from the house
and sat down together under a shady tree.

"P'raps," began Mr. Blank politely, "you could bring a bit o' tea out
to me on the quiet like."

"I'll ask mother----" began William.

"Oh, no," said Mr. Blank modestly. "I don't want ter give no one