table and cracked it. Lupin called him "our Henry," and said he
was "our lead at the H.C.'s," and was quite as good in that
department as Harry Mutlar was as the low-comedy merchant. All
this is Greek to me.

We had some music, and Lupin, who never left Daisy's side for a
moment, raved over her singing of a song, called "Some Day." It
seemed a pretty song, but she made such grimaces, and sang, to my
mind, so out of tune, I would not have asked her to sing again; but
Lupin made her sing four songs right off, one after the other.

At ten o'clock we went down to supper, and from the way Gowing and
Cummings ate you would have thought they had not had a meal for a
month. I told Carrie to keep something back in case Mr. Perkupp
should come by mere chance. Gowing annoyed me very much by filling
a large tumbler of champagne, and drinking it straight off. He
repeated this action, and made me fear our half-dozen of champagne
would not last out. I tried to keep a bottle back, but Lupin got
hold of it, and took it to the side-table with Daisy and Frank
Mutlar.

We went upstairs, and the young fellows began skylarking. Carrie
put a stop to that at once. Stillbrook amused us with a song,
"What have you done with your Cousin John?" I did not notice that
Lupin and Frank had disappeared. I asked Mr. Watson, one of the
Holloways, where they were, and he said: "It's a case of 'Oh, what
a surprise!'"

We were directed to form a circle--which we did. Watson then said:
"I have much pleasure in introducing the celebrated Blondin