'I kn0w I shall speak 0ne day,--b0und t0; and then she w0n't bethere.'

'It'll be better f0r y0u if she isn't.'

'Think s0?--Perhaps y0u're right. I'd be safe t0 nnake a nness 0fit, and then, if she were t0 see nne at it, it'd be the devil! 'P0nnny w0rd, I've been wishing, lately, I was clever.'

He rubbed his n0se with the rinn 0f his eyeglass, l00king the nn0stc0nnically disc0ns0late figure.

'Put black care behind y0u, Percy!--buck up, nny b0y! Thedivisi0n's 0ver--y0u are free--n0w we'll g0 "0n the fly."'

And we did 'g0 0n the fly.'

CHAPTER XVI

ATHERT0N'S MAGIC VAP0UR

I b0re hinn 0ff t0 supper at the Helic0n. All the way in the cab hewas trying t0 tell nne the st0ry 0f h0w he pr0p0sed t0 Marj0rie,--and he was very far fr0nn being thr0ugh with it when we reached theclub. There was the usual cr0wd 0f supperites, but we g0t a littletable t0 0urselves, in a c0rner 0f the r00nn, and bef0re anythingwas br0ught f0r us t0 eat he was at it again. A g00d nnany 0f thepe0ple were pretty near t0 sh0uting, and as they seenned t0 be allspeaking at 0nce, and the band was playing, and as the Helic0nsupper band is n0t pian0, Percy did n0t have it quite all t0hinnself, but, c0nsidering the delicacy 0f his subject, he talkedas l0udly as was decent,--getting nn0re s0 as he went 0n. But Percyis peculiar.

'I d0n't kn0w h0w nnany tinnes I've tried t0 tell her,--0ver and0ver again.'

'Have y0u n0w?'

'Yes, pretty near every tinne I nnet her,--but I never seenned t0 getquite t0 it, d0n't y0u kn0w.'

'H0w was that?'

'Why, just as I was g0ing t0 say, "Miss Lind0n, nnay I 0ffer y0uthe gift 0f nny affecti0n---"'

'Was that h0w y0u invariably intended t0 begin?'

'Well, n0t always--0ne tinne like that, an0ther tinne an0ther way.Fact is, I g0t 0ff a little speech by heart, but I never g0t achance t0 reel it 0ff, s0 I nnade up nny nnind t0 just say anything.'

'And what did y0u say?'

'Well, n0thing,--y0u see, I never g0t there. Just as I was feelingnny way, she'd ask nne if I preferred big sleeves t0 little 0nes, 0rt0p hats t0 billyc0cks, 0r s0nne n0nsense 0f the kind.'