his guests
to the festive board, and hurried off in advance to see that the
preparations were duly made in their honour.

He caught Cusack wistfully eyeing the unwonted array of good things on
the table, and evidently speculating as to who the favoured guests were
to be. It was with some difficulty that the captain got him sent off to
his own breakfast in the big hall, half bribed thereto by the promise of
a reversion of the coming feast.

Then, feeling quite exhausted by his morning's excitement, he sat down
and awaited his visitors.

They arrived in due time; still, to judge of their leisurely approach
and their languid knock, a little suspicious of the whole affair. But
the moment the door opened, and their eyes fell on the table, their
manner changed to one of the most amiable briskness.

"Good-morning," said Riddell, who, in the presence of the greater
attractions on the table, ran considerable risk of being overlooked
altogether.

"Good-morning," cried the boys, suddenly roused by his voice to a sense
of their social duty.

"Awfully brickish of you to ask us round," said Telson.

"Rather," chimed in Parson.

"I'm glad you came," said the captain. "We may as well have breakfast.
Telson, have you forgotten how to boil eggs?"

Telson said emphatically he had not, and proceeded forthwith to give
practical proof of his cunning, while Parson volunteered his aid in
cutting up the bread, and buttering the toast.

In due time the preliminaries were all got through, and the trio sat
down to partake of the reward of their toil.

Riddell could not thank his stars sufficiently that he had thought of
embellishing his feast with the few luxuries from Fairbairn's cupboard.
Nothing could exceed the good-humour of the two juniors as one delicacy
after another unfolded its charms and invited their attention. They
accompanied their exertions with a running fire of chat and chaff, which
left Riddell very little to do except gently to steer the conversation
round towards the point for which this merry meeting was designed.

"Frightful job to get old Parson to turn up," said Telson, taking his
fourth go-in of potted meat; "he thought you were going to row him about
that shindy in the Parliament!"

"No, I didn't," rejoined Parson, pushing up his cup for more tea. "It
was you said that about blowing up us Skyrockets."

"What a howling cram," said Telson. "I never make bad jokes. You know,
Riddell, it was Parson s