a chair, if you have no objection,' suiting the action to the word;
'whew! how warm it is.'

'What would you like to drink, sir?' asked the fair Martha, putting
on her brightest smile, which seemed rather out of place on her
features; 'brandy and soda?'

'Thank you, I'll have a lemon squash if you will kindly make me
one,' he said, carelessly, and as Martha flew to obey his order, he
added, 'you might put a little curacoa in it.'

'It's very hot, ain't it,' observed Miss Twexby, affably, as she cut
up the lemon; 'par's gone to sleep in the other room,' jerking her
head in the direction of the parlour, 'but Mr Villiers went out in
all the heat, and it ain't no wonder if he gets a sunstroke.'

'Oh, was Mr Villiers here?' asked Gaston, idly, not that he cared
much about that gentleman's movements, but merely for something to
say.

'Lor, yes, sir,' giggled Martha, 'he's one of our regulars, sir.'

'I can understand that, Mademoiselle,' said Vandeloup, bowing as he
took the drink from her hand.

Miss Twexby giggled again, and her nose grew a shade redder at the
pleasure of being bantered by this handsome young man.

'You're a furriner,' she said, shortly; 'I knew you were,' she went
on triumphantly as he nodded, 'you talk well enough, but there's