me evening, after he had dressed for din

onfirmed conspirator, and glanced rather furtiv

to your orders," replied Mr. Ferdin

here have yo

to say I might throw it in

suddenly dis

You have

, no,

het's fa

where

oment I have set it i

dee

nd, in some confusion, which, however, was not noticed by the Pr

," returned the Pro

be taken to the draw

ophet

very rightly say-a butler's pantry is the place f

er knew of the Lord Chancellor's agreeable-looking second-cook. After pausing a moment re

nt, Mr. F

ir

mom

d his throat, arranged his tie, and then said

ally go to bed, Mr. Ferdin

time, sir, and som

rather a

pardo

ur for being quite-tha

ly in b

ne bass voice vibr

in bed, but really

dinand, with decided dignity,

hen's

welve

, with slightly theatrical solicitude.

, sir,

ou so pale, Mr. Ferd

y incapable of acquiring even the most universal complaints, and, moreover, miraculously exempt from

y a quarter to eleven. And Gustavus too! He is young, and the young can't be too c

firmly rooted to the Turkey carpet with surprise as if he had been

ravagant plea of sudden illness or second gaiety, stood in the small and sober pa

" said the functionary whom the club grew under gla

is gentleman

aper, in which Robert Green was sitting alone, smoking a large cigar and glancing at the "stony-broke edition" of an evening paper. He greeted the Prophet with his usual unaffected cordiality, of

time to light the cigar, "what, in your opin

ghtly belated, face assumed an e

s not so easy. But-hang it, we all understand the

e tone of a man at odds with several consci

en, with the decided manner which had made hi

an to look very

s way," he said. "Would an honourab

the

e feel bound to k

if he'd m

ose h

to pucker his brows and stare very hard indeed in the en

ese two promises were diametri

ked obliquely at the carpet, pre

led them both he'd ha

, I've lost it!

break one he would be forced to b

n't believe I h

ilently, repeating

ow," he said, after three minut

would you

was a dam

looked ver

nt to him. What wou

was a dam

oughly broken down. However, he

able resignation-as of a toad beneath t

en! I've got to shun

you would say of,

a bit! Yes, I've done

de, what should you a

uch a damned

an about the

abou

sense of honour c

ch a damned fool'd go

he stuck with feverish

Bob, h

pon my word I don't. You'll

e it from me. He had. Now w

he made

the Prophe

es

relative, the other to-well, B

rt of st

river, and who-who mix principally with-wel

t of str

re deci

n, you k

the Prophet, hastily. "The point

the relative. Wait a bit, th

ef. But some dreadful sense of hone

honour to the architects-that is, to

pledged it to

ll,

is honour over, of course. Nice for the relative! The

he first decisive step that was to lead to so many co

e was no other sound, and he felt certain that Mr. Ferdinand and Gustavus had heeded his anxious medical directions and gone entirely to bed betimes, leaving the butler's pantry free for the nocturnal operations of the victim of Madame. For he recognised that she was the guiding spirit of the family that dwelt beside the Mouse. He might have escaped out of the snare of Mr. Sagittarius, but Madame was a fowler who would hold him fast till she had satisfied herself once and for all whether it were indeed possible to dwell in the central districts, within reach of the Army and Navy heaven in Victoria Street, and yet rem

ck uttered a silver note, his pent-in breath escaped with a loud gulp,

sey! He

s lip and went at

a beautiful muslin helmet trimmed with lace, and a delicious embroidered wrapper rou

he said, "what is it? Y

e twelve. Have you h

e and very witty. And we had a marvellous sup

s her due. She knew very well that she was the most popula

od-night,

ak. It seemed to him almost more than sacrilegious to make of this dear and honoured ornament of old age a vehicl

ght, my

d him, th

Lady Enid,

y mu

He thinks her such a th

the Prophet, concea

with you, Hennessey, you should

't to-day

re real

busy i

y saw her for a mo

was

Prophet, having hurried out in the hope of discovering who were

ia dropped

at once. You look quite tired. I am so thank

knew, for the first time, what criminals with consciences feel

, which he had succeeded in obtaining that night from a small working astronomer's shop in the Edgeware Road, and, mindful of the terms of his oath and the decided opinion of Robert Green, scurried hastily, but very gingerly

had approached it. Quite recently, when Mrs. Fancy Quinglet had broken into tears on the refusal of Sir Tiglath Butt to burst according to her prediction, he had handed her to this very portal. But he had never passed through it, nor did he know what lay beyond. No doubt there was a kitchen, very probably the mysterious region of watery activ

was a Cook's Almanac for the Home, decorated in bright colours, a Butler's own book, bound in claret-coloured linen, and a large framed photograph of Francatelli, that immortal chef whose memory is kept green in so many kitchens, and whose recipes are still followed as are followed the footprints of the great ones in the Everlasting Sands of Time. One corner of the room Gustavus had made his own, and here might be seen his tasteful what-not and his little library-neatly arranged unabridged farthing editions of Drummond's Ascent of Man, M

a sink. He had gained the scullery, but not his goal. To the right of the sink was yet another door through which the Prophet, who carried the planisphere in one hand, the George the Third candlestick in the other, rather excitedly debouched into a good-sized passage. As he did so he heard the muffled alto voice of the eight-day clock proclaim that it was a quarter-past eleven. Feeling that he was now upon the point of breaking both the promises of the damned fool, the Prophet hastened along the passage, darted through the first outlet, and found himself abruptly face to back with what appeared at first glance to be an enormously broad and bow-legged dwarf, with a bald head and a black tail coat, which, in an attitude of savage curiosity, was gazing through a gigantic instrument, whose muzzle projected from an open window into a spacious area. So great was the Prophet's surprise, so supreme the shock to his whole nervous system occasioned by this unexpected encounter, that he did not utter a cry. His amazement carried him into that terrible region which lies beyond the realms of speech. He simply stood quite still and gazed at the bow-legge

ce, the Prophet resolved to beat a rapid and noiseless retreat. He carried this resolve into execution by turning sharply round, knocking his head against a plate chest, firing the George

s somewhat advanced age. It might be more just to state that, without wasting any precious time in useless elongation, he described an exceedingly rapid circular movement, still preserving the shortened form of himself which had

ing every symptom of anguish, with the exception of a rapi

Ferdinand's special sanctum was prompted by the fact that, just as he was speaking, he happ

is just what I wan

ntered quietly away with it into the darkness, leaving Mr. Ferdinand still in the attitude of a Toby jug, the planisphere still hea