They aren't going down again ever any more."
He turned to the girl on his other side, and laid his free hand on her
shoulder.
"And I guess you'll forgive me for distressing you," he said, "when I
tell you why I did it."
"Well, why, Dick?" she questioned, her face turned to his.
"I just thought I'd like to know, dear," he drawled, "if there wasn't
something bigger than money to be got out of this deal. And--are you
listening, Jerry?--I found there was!"
* * * * *
The Knight Errant
I
THE APPEAL
The Poor Relation hoisted one leg over the arm of his chair, and gazed
contemplatively at the ceiling.
"Now, I wonder whom I ought to scrag for this," he mused aloud.
A crumpled newspaper lay under his hand, a certain paragraph uppermost
that was strongly scored with red ink. He had read it twice already and
after a thoughtful pause he proceeded to read it again.
"A marriage has been arranged and will shortly take place between Cecil
Mordaunt Rivington and Ernestine, fourth daughter of Lady Florence
Cardwell."
"Why Ernestine, I wonder?" murmured the Poor Relation. "Thought she was
still in short frocks. Used to be rather a jolly little kid. Wonder what
she thinks of the arrangement?"
A faint smile cocked one corner of his mouth--a very plain mouth which
he wore no moustache to hide.
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