is friend.

"Promise me you won't tell him if I tell you," said Mrs. Henshaw.

Mr. Stokes promised.

"I don't know that I ought to tell you," said Mrs. Henshaw, reluctantly,
"but I get so sick and tired of him coming home and grumbling about
you."

"Go on," said the waiting Stokes.

Mrs. Henshaw stole a glance at him. "He says you act as if you thought
yourself everybody," she said, softly, "and your everlasting clack,
clack, clack, worries him to death."

"Go on," said the listener, grimly.

"And he says it's so much trouble to get you to pay for your share of
the drinks that he'd sooner pay himself and have done with it."

Mr. Stokes sprang from his chair and, with clenched fists, stood angrily
regarding the horrified Mr. Bell. He composed himself by an effort and
resumed his seat.

"Anything else?" he inquired.

"Heaps and heaps of things," said Mrs. Henshaw; "but I don't want to
make bad blood between you."

"Don't mind me," said Mr. Stokes, glancing bale-fully over at his
agitated friend. "P'raps I'll tell you some things about him some day."

"It would be only fair," said Mrs. Henshaw, quickly. "Tell me now; I
don't mind Mr. Bell hearing; not a bit."

Mr. Bell spoke up for himself. "I don't want to hear family secrets,"
he whispered, with an imploring glance at the vindictive Mr. Stokes. "It
wouldn't be right."

"Well, I don't want to say things behind a man's back," said the latter,
recovering himself. "Let's wait till George comes in, and I'll say 'em
before his face."

Mrs. Henshaw, biting her lip with annoyance, argued with him, but in
vain. Mr. Stokes was firm, and, with a glance at the clock, said that
George would be in soon and he would wait till he came.

Conversation flagged despite the efforts of Mrs. Henshaw to draw Mr.
Bell out on the subject of Ireland. At an early stage of the catechism
he lost his voice entirely, and thereafter sat silent while Mrs. Henshaw
discussed the most intimate affairs of her husband's family with Mr.
Stokes. She was in the middle of an anecdote about her mother-in-law
when Mr. Bell rose and, with some difficulty, intimated his desire to
depart.

"What, without seeing George?" said Mrs. Henshaw. "He can't be long now,
and I should like to see you together."

"P'r'aps we shall meet him," said Mr. Stokes, who was getting rather
tired of the affair. "Good night."

He led the way to the door and, followed by the eager Mr. Bell, passed
out into the stree