!"

But Leonie, nothing daunted, shook back her russet mop of hair and gave
direct answer, to the confusion of the domestic who happily stood out
of Lady Hetth's eye-range.

"But, Auntie! I've _often_ heard Wilkins tell Nannie that you've been
in off the deep end before bweakfast! Oh! do let me hold him just for
ever such a little while!"

To save the expression of his face Jan Cuxson had bent and lifted the
pup by the scruff of its neck, and upon the piteous appeal put it
squirming and wriggling in the outstretched arms.

Great tears dripped all over the animal though Leonie stood on one
foot, bit her underlip, and squeezed the puppy to suffocation in a
valiant effort to restrain this appalling sign of weakness.

"Tell me what makes you cry like that?"

"My--my kitten was--was stwangled by--by someone this morning, an'--an'
she was all soft an'--an' fluffy like----"

The words ended in a paroxysm of sobs muffled in the puppy's coat
whereupon it ecstatically licked every visible part of the child's
neck, whilst Ellen, throwing decorum to the winds, knelt down and drew
the shaking little figure into her arms.

"Anybody in there!" suddenly and very gruffly asked Jan Cuxson, jerking
his head in the direction of the room where the few and favoured
awaited the pleasure of the specialist.

"No, Sir," replied Ellen, as she disentangled one of the puppy's claws
from the lace on Leonie's sleeve. "I'm going to call my father! I
don't think you understand your little girl very well!"

He spoke quite gently but his face was white with anger, that almost
terrifying rage which surges over and through the mentally and
physically strong at the sight, or thought, of cruelty to the small and
weak.

He whistled two exceedingly sharp notes and plunged his hands into his
pockets, where he scrunched up his keys and some loose change.

CHAPTER V

"The liberal soul shall be made fat."--_The Bible_.

"Well! well! well!"

Sir Jonathan walked over to the child and knelt down beside her as the
maid rose and straightened her crumpled apron.

"Let me have the doggie, darling!"

"No!--no!--_no_! I--I love him. He's all soft and cuddley. I want to
hold him for jus' a little, little longer!"

The child's voice was shrill with excitement as she pulled back from
the encircling arms, her lips quivering, her eyes staring distractedly
first at the younger man then at the dog.

"Would you like to have Jingles, kiddie?"