or peace of mind in my own house i will stand it no longer i may be late to night � i shall go to the british medical meeting but when i return i x the shall h to find that have your conduct and that have en dear of the have recently made an alteration in your he seized his hat the dining room do n and a few minutes later they heard the crash of the big front gate victory victory cried still around the furniture did you hear what he said influences don t you understand why do you sit there so pale and why don t you get up and dance oh i shall be so glad when it is over i do hate to give him pain surely he has learned now that it is very unpleasant to spend one s life with he has almost learned it just one more little lesson we must not risk all at this last moment what would you do oh don t do an ing too dreadful i feel that we have gone too far already oh we can do it very nicely you see we are both engaged and that makes it very easy will do what you ask him especially as you have told the reason why and my charles will do it without even wanting to know the reason now you know what mrs thinks about the reserve of young ladies mere affectation and a of uie dark ages of the those were her words were they not what then well now we must put it in practice we are all her other views to practice and we must not this one but what would you do oh don t look so wicked you look like some evil little with your golden beyond the city hair and dancing mischievous eyes i know that you are going to propose something dreadful we must give a uttle supper to night we a supper why not young gentlemen give why not young ladies but whom shall we invite why and charles of course and the admiral and mrs hay oh no that would be very old fashioned we must keep up with the times but what can we give them for supper oh something with a nice fast late kind of to it let me see champagne of course � and will do in the novels all the naughty people take champagne and besides they won t need any cooking how is your pocket money i have three pounds and i have one four pounds i have no idea how much champagne costs have you not the slightest how many does a man eat i can t imagine write and ask charles no i won t ask jane ring for her she has been a cook and is sure to know jane on being cross questioned refused to commit herself beyond the statement that it depended upon the gentleman and also upon the the united experience of the kitchen however that three dozen was a fair provision women of the future then we shall have eight dozen altogether said da down all her upon a sheet of � and two of champagne and some bread and and that s all i it is not so very difficult to give a supper after is it i don t like it it seems to me to be so very but it is needed to the matter no no here is no drawing back now or we shall ruin papa is sure to come back by the le will reach the door at we must have ready for him now just sit down at once and to come at nine o clock and i shall do the to charles the two invitations were received and was already a and he that this was some further development of he plot as to charles he was so accustomed to in the person of his aunt that the � thing which could surprise him would be a rigid � of etiquette at nine o clock they entered he dining room of number to find the master of the absent a red shaded lamp a snowy cloth a � little feast and the two whom would have as their companions a party never and the house rang with their laughter and their it is three minutes to ten cried suddenly at the clock good gracious so it is now for our little pushed the champagne bottles tke great shadow etc beyond the city forward in the direction of the door and scattered shells over the cloth have you your pipe charles my pipe yes then please smoke it now don t argue about it but do it for you will ruin the effect otherwise the large man drew out a red case and extracted a great yellow out of which a moment later he was puffing thick wreaths of smoke had lit a cigar and both the girls had that looks very nice and said glancing round now i shall lie on this sofa so now charles just sit here and throw your arm carelessly over the back of the sofa no don t stop smoking i like it dear put your feet upon the and do try to look a little dissipated i wish we could crown ourselves with flowers there are some on the oh dear here he is i hear his key she began to sing in her high fresh voice a little snatch from a french song with a swinging la la chorus the doctor had walked home from the station in a and frame of mind feeling that perhaps he had said too much in the morning that his daughters had for years been models in every way and that if there had been any change of late it was as they said themselves on account of their anxiety to 