ageing ingloriously, tamely approaching five-and-thirty in bath-chairs.
Tulliwuddle and Bunker are paladins of romance! We thought we had grown
up--thank Heaven, we were deceived!"

Having breakfasted and lit a cigarette, he essayed for the second
time to arouse the Baron; but getting nothing but the most somnolent
responses, he set out for a stroll, visiting the gardens, stables,
kennels, and keeper's house, and even inspecting a likely pool or
two upon the river, and making in the course of it several useful
acquaintances among the Tulliwuddle retainers.

When he returned he found the Baron stirring a cup of strong tea and
staring at an ancestral portrait with a thoughtful frown.

"They are preparing the caber, Baron," he remarked genially.

"Stoff and nonsense; I vill not fling her!" was the wholly unexpected
reply. "I do not love to play ze fool alvays!"

"My dear Baron!"

"Zat picture," said the Baron, nodding his head solemnly towards the
portrait. "It is like ze Lord Tollyvoddle in ze print at ze hotel. I do
believe he is ze same."

"But I explained that he wasn't Tulliwuddle."

"He is so like," repeated the Baron moodily. "He most be ze same."

Bunker looked at it and shook his head.

"A different man, I assure you."

"Oh, ze devil!" replied the Baron.

"What's the matter?"

"I haff a head zat tvists and turns like my head never did since many
years."

The Count had already surmised as much.

"Hang it out of the window," he suggested.

The Baron made no reply for some minutes. Then with an earnest air he
began--

"Bonker, I have somezing to say to you."

"You have the most sympathetic audience outside the clan."

The Count's cheerful tone did not seem to please his friend.

"Your heart, he is too light, Bonker; ja, too light. Last night you did
engourage me not to be seemly."

"I!"

"I did get almost dronk. If my head vas not so hard I should be dronk.
Das ist not right. If I am to be ze Tollyvoddle, it most be as I vould
be Von Blitzenberg. I most not forget zat I am not as ozzer men. I am
noble, and most be so accordingly."

"What steps do you propose to take?" inquired Bunker with perfect
gravity.

The Baron stared at the picture.

"Last night I had a dream. It vas zat man--at least, probably it vas,
for I cannot remember eggsactly. He did pursue me mit a kilt."

"With what did you defend yourself?"

"I know not: I jost remember zat it should be a warning. Ve Blitzenbergs