"Dinner ready? Savagely hungry. Give me three minutes, and serve."

For about that length of time there sounded in the bedroom a
splashing and a blowing; then Warburton came forth with red cheeks.
He seized upon a little pile of letters and packets which lay on his
writing-table, broke envelopes, rent wrappers, and read with now an
ejaculation of pleasure, now a grunt of disgust, and again a
mirthful half roar. Then, dinner--the feeding of a famished man of
robust appetite and digestion, a man three or four years on the
green side of thirty. It was a speedy business, in not much more
than a quarter of an hour there disappeared a noble steak and its
appurtenances, a golden-crusted apple tart, a substantial slice of
ripe Cheddar, two bottles of creamy Bass.

"Now I can talk!" cried Will to his servant, as he threw himself
into a deep chair, and began lighting his pipe. "What's the news? I
seem to have been away three months rather than three weeks."

"Mr. Franks called yesterday, sir, late in the afternoon, when I was
here cleaning. He was very glad to hear you'd be back to-day, and
said he might look in to-night."

"Good! What else?"

"My brother-in-law wishes to see you, sir. He's in trouble again--
lost his place at Boxon's a few days ago. I don't exac'ly know how
it happened, but he'll explain everything. He's very unfortunate,
sir, is Allchin."

"Tell him to come before nine to-morrow morning, if he can."