she seemed to be making up her mind to go away.

A boy was passing with the evening papers, and I hurried out to get
one, rather thoughtlessly, for we have all the papers in the club.
Unfortunately, I misunderstood the direction the boy had taken; but
round the first corner (out of sight of the club windows) I saw the girl
Jenny, and so asked her how William's wife was.

"Did he send you to me?" she replied, impertinently taking me for a
waiter. "My!" she added, after a second scrutiny, "I b'lieve you're one
of them. His missis is a bit better, and I was to tell him as she took
all the tapiocar."

"How could you tell him?" I asked.

"I was to do like this," she replied, and went through the supping of
something out of a plate in dumb-show.

"That would not show she ate all the tapioca," I said.

"But I was to end like this," she answered, licking an imaginary plate
with her tongue.

I gave her a shilling (to get rid of her), and returned to the club
disgusted.

Later in the evening I had to go to the club library for a book, and
while William was looking in vain for it (I had forgotten the title) I
said to him:

"By the way, William, Mr. Myddleton Finch is to tell the committee
that he was mistaken in the charge he brought against you, so you will
doubtless be restored to the dining-room to-morrow."

The two members were still in their chairs, probably sleeping lightly;
yet he had the effrontery to thank me.

"Don't thank me," I said, blushing at the imputation. "Remember your
place, William!"

"But Mr. Myddleton Finch knew I swore," he insisted.

"A gentleman," I replied, stiffly, "cannot remember for twenty-four
hours what a waiter has said to him."

"No, sir; but--"

To stop him I had to say: "And, ah, William, your wife is a little
better. She has eaten the tapioca--all of it."

"How can your know, sir?"

"By an accident."

"Jenny signed to the window?"

"No."

"Then you saw her, and went out, and--"

"Nonsense!"

"Oh, sir, to do that for me! May God bl--"

"William!"

"Forgive me, sir; but--when I tell my missis, she will say it was
thought of your own wife as made you do it."

He wrung my hand. I dared not withdraw it, lest we should waken the
sleepers.

William returned to the dining-room, and I had to show him that if he
did not cease looking gratefully at me I must change my waiter. I also
ordered him to stop telling me nightly how his wife was, but I continued
to know,