I hope to goodness he doesn't let it out!" That evening, while they were at tea, Lord Ronald Ricksborough arrived, and came straight to the schoolroom.

His attitude was admirable.

He greeted Pollyooly with the words, "Hullo, Marion!" in the perfectly perfunctory manner of a cousin.

She greeted him with a like perfunctoriness and introduced him to Miss Belthorp.

He greeted her politely; then he looked at the Lump with a very good air of surprise and said: "Who's the kid ?" This display of ignorance was unwarranted by the fact that more than once, in moments of chivalry, he had carried the Lump up the stairs of Seventy-five, the King's Bench Walk, after the three of them had been taking their pleasures in London.
"He's a little boy his grace has adopted," said Miss Belthorp, smiling affectionately at the Lump.
"Adopted?
Well, that's a rum go," said Ronald; and he sat down at the table.
Over his tea he told them, or, to be exact, he told Pollyooly, for it was to her that he addressed himself, of his doings at school and during the time he had spent on the visit which had just come to an end.