that, darling Lucia."

It occurred to Georgie that the Guru had certainly got a bottle of
brandy, but there was no use in introducing a topic that might lead to
discord, and indeed, even as Lucia went indoors to see about Hamlet and
Othello, the Guru himself having emerged from meditation, joined them
and sat down by Mrs Quantock.

"Beloved lady," he said, "all is peace and happiness. The Guides have
spoken to me so lovingly of you, and they say it is best your Guru
should come here. Perhaps I shall return later to your kind house. They
smiled when I asked that. But just now they send me here: there is more
need of me here, for already you have so much light."

Certainly the Guides were very tactful people, for nothing could have
soothed Mrs Quantock so effectually as a message of that kind, which
she would certainly report to Lucia when she returned from seeing about
Hamlet and Othello.

"Oh, do they say I have much light already, Guru, dear?" she asked.
"That is nice of them."

"Surely they said it, and now I shall go back to your house, and leave
sweet thoughts there for you. And shall I send sweet thoughts to the
home of the kind gentleman next door?"

Georgie eagerly welcomed this proposition, for with Hermy and Ursy
coming that evening, he felt that he would have plenty of use for sweet
thoughts. He even forebore to complete in his own mind the conjecture
that was forming itself there, namely, that though the Guru would be