seeking an outlet for escape. In a dazed perfunctory manner, always with
his eyes turning to watch the shop entrance, he gave a few random orders,
which the grocer made a show of entering in his book. Now and then he
walked out into the street, looked anxiously in all directions, and
hurried back to keep up his pretence of shopping. From one of these
sorties he did not return; he had dashed away into the dusk, and neither
he nor the dark-faced boy nor the veiled lady were seen again by the
expectant crowds that continued to throng the Scarrick establishment for
days to come.

* * * * *

"I can never thank you and your sister sufficiently," said the grocer.

"We enjoyed the fun of it," said the artist modestly, "and as for the
model, it was a welcome variation on posing for hours for 'The Lost
Hylas'."

"At any rate," said the grocer, "I insist on paying for the hire of the
black beard."




CANOSSA


Demosthenes Platterbaff, the eminent Unrest Inducer, stood on his trial
for a serious offence, and the eyes of the political world were focussed
on the jury. The offence, it should be stated, was serious for the