"It's a habit of mine,
I'll come with his wine."

Who'll put him to proof?
"I," said All Earth,
"Whatever he's worth,
I'll put to the proof."

Who'll choose him for Knight?
"I," said his Mother,
"Before any other,
My very own knight!"

And after this fashion, adventure to seek,
Was Sir Galahad made--as it might be last week!

THE PUZZLER

I had not seen Penfentenyou since the Middle Nineties, when he was
Minister of Ways and Woodsides in De Thouar's first Administration. Last
summer, though he nominally held the same portfolio, he was his Colony's
Premier in all but name, and the idol of his own province, which is two
and a half times the size of England. Politically, his creed was his
growing country; and he came over to England to develop a Great Idea in
her behalf.

Believing that he had put it in train, I made haste to welcome him to my
house for a week.

That he was chased to my door by his own Agent-General in a motor; that
they turned my study into a Cabinet Meeting which I was not invited to
attend; that the local telegraph all but broke down beneath the strain
of hundred word coded cables; and that I practically broke into the
house of a stranger to get him telephonic facilities on a Sunday, are
things I overlook. What I objected to was his ingratitude, while I thus
tore up England to help him. So I said: "Why on earth didn't you see
your Opposite Number in Town instead of bringing your office work here?"

"Eh? Who?" said he, looking up from his fourth cable since lunch.

"See the English Minister for Ways and Woodsides."

"I saw him," said Penfentenyou, without enthusiasm.

It seemed that he had called twice on the gentleman, but without an
appointment--("I thought if I wasn't big enough, my business was")--and
each time had found him engaged. A third party intervening, suggested
that a meeting might be arranged if due notice were given.

"Then," said Penfentenyou, "I called at the office at ten o'clock."

"But they'd be in bed," I cried.

"One of the babies was awake. He told me that--that 'my sort of
questions "'--he slapped the pile of cables--"were only taken between 11
and 2 P.M. So I waited."

"And when you got to business?" I asked.

He made a gesture of despair. "It was like talking to children. They'd
never heard of it."

"And your