a louder tone. The Sub-Warden rose with alacrity, and the two left the

room together.
My Lady turned to the Professor, who had uncovered the urn, and was

taking its temperature with his pocket-thermometer. "Professor!" she
began, so loudly and suddenly that even Uggug, who had gone to sleep in

his chair, left off snoring and opened one eye. The Professor pocketed
his thermometer in a moment, clasped his hands, and put his head on one

side with a meek smile
"You were teaching my son before breakfast, I believe?" my Lady loftily

remarked. "I hope he strikes you as having talent?"
"Oh, very much so indeed, my Lady!" the Professor hastily replied,

unconsciously rubbing his ear, while some painfulrecollection seemed
to cross his mind. "I was very forcibly struck by His Magnificence,

I assure you!"
"He is a charming boy!" my Lady exclaimed. "Even his snores are more

musical than those of other boys!"
If that were so, the Professor seemed to think, the snores of other boys

must be something too awful to be endured: but he was a cautious man,
and he said nothing.

"And he's so clever!" my Lady continued. "No one will enjoy your
Lecture more by the way, have you fixed the time for it yet?

You've never given one, you know: and it was promised years ago,
before you--

"Yes, yes, my Lady, I know! Perhaps next Tuesday or Tuesday week--"
"That will do very well," said my Lady, graciously. "Of course you will

let the Other Professor lecture as well?"
"I think not, my Lady? the Professor said with some hesitation.

"You see, he always stands with his back to the audience.
It does very well for reciting; but for lecturing--"

"You are quite right," said my Lady. "And, now I come to think of it,
there would hardly be time for more than one Lecture. And it will go

off all the better, if we begin with a Banquet, and a Fancy-dress
Ball--"

"It will indeed!" the Professor cried, with enthusiasm.
"I shall come as a Grass-hopper," my Lady calmly proceeded.

"What shall you come as, Professor?"
The Professor smiled feebly. "I shall come as--as early as I can,

my Lady!"
"You mustn't come in before the doors are opened," said my Lady.

"I ca'n't," said the Professor. "Excuse me a moment. As this is Lady
Sylvie's birthday, I would like to--" and he rushed away.

Bruno began feeling in his pockets, looking more and more melancholy as
he did so: then he put his thumb in his mouth, and considered for a

minute: then he quietly left the room.
He had hardly done so before the Professor was back again, quite out of

breath. "Wishing you many happy returns of the day, my dear child!"
he went on, addressing the smiling little girl, who had run to meet him.

"Allow me to give you a birthday-present. It's a second-hand
pincushion, my dear. And it only cost fourpence-halfpenny!"

"Thank you, it's very pretty!" And Sylvie rewarded the old man with a
hearty kiss.

"And the pins they gave me for nothing!" the Professor added in high
glee. "Fifteen of 'em, and only one bent!"

"I'll make the bent one into a hook!" said Sylvie. "To catch Bruno
with, when he runs away from his lessons!"

"You ca'n't guess what my present is!" said Uggug, who had taken the
butter-dish from the table, and was standing behind her, with a wicked

leer on his face.
"No, I ca'n't guess," Sylvie said without looking up. She was still

examining the Professor's pincushion.
"It's this!" cried the bad boy, exultingly, as he emptied the dish over

her, and then, with a grin of delight at his own cleverness, looked
round for applause.

Sylvie coloured crimson, as she shook off the butter from her frock:
but she kept her lips tight shut, and walked away to the window, where

she stood looking out and trying to recover her temper.
Uggug's triumph was a very short one: the Sub-Warden had returned,

just in time to be a witness of his dear child's playfulness,
and in another moment a skilfully-applied box on the ear had changed

the grin of delight into a howl of pain.
"My darling!" cried his mother, enfolding him in her fat arms.

"Did they box his ears for nothing? A precious pet!"
"It's not for nothing!" growled the angry father. "Are you aware,

Madam, that I pay the house-bills, out of a fixed annual sum?
The loss of all that wasted butter falls on me! Do you hear, Madam!"

"Hold your tongue, Sir!" My Lady spoke very quietly--almost in a
whisper. But there was something in her look which silenced him.

"Don't you see it was only a joke? And a very clever one, too!
He only meant that he loved nobody but her! And, instead of being

pleased with the compliment, the spiteful little thing has gone away
in a huff!"

The Sub-Warden was a very good hand at changing a subject. He walked
across to the window. "My dear," he said, "is that a pig that I see

down below, rooting about among your flower-beds?"
"A pig!" shrieked my Lady, rushing madly to the window, and almost

pushing her husband out, in her anxiety to see for herself. "Whose pig
is it? How did it get in? Where's that crazy Gardener gone?"

At this moment Bruno re-entered the room, and passing Uggug (who was
blubbering his loudest, in the hope of attracting notice) as if he was

quite used to that sort of thing, he ran up to Sylvie and threw his
arms round her. "I went to my toy-cupboard," he said with a very

sorrowful face, "to see if there were somefin fit for a present for oo!
And there isn't nuffin! They's all broken, every one!

And I haven't got no money left, to buy oo a birthday-present!
And I ca'n't give oo nuffin but this!" ("This" was a very earnest hug

and a kiss.)
"Oh, thank you, darling!" cried Sylvie. "I like your present best of

all!" (But if so, why did she give it back so quickly?)
His Sub-Excellency turned and patted the two children on the head with

his long lean hands. "Go away, dears!" he said. "There's business to
talk over. "

Sylvie and Bruno went away hand in hand: but, on reaching the door,
Sylvie came back again and went up to Uggug timidly. "I don't mind

about the butter," she said, "and I--I'm sorry he hurt you!" And she
tried to shake hands with the little ruffian: but Uggug only blubbered

louder, and wouldn't make friends. Sylvie left the room with a sigh.
The Sub-Warden glared angrily at his weeping son. "Leave the room,

Sirrah!" he said, as loud as he dared. His wife was still leaning out
of the window, and kept repeating "I ca'n't see that pig! Where is it?"

"It's moved to the right now it's gone a little to the left," said the
Sub-Warden: but he had his back to the window, and was making signals

to the Lord Chancellor, pointing to Uggug and the door, with many a
cunning nod and wink.

[Image...Removal of Uggug]
The Chancellor caught his meaning at last, and, crossing the

room, took that interesting child by the ear the next moment he and
Uggug were out of the room, and the door shut behind them: but not

before one piercing yell had rung through the room, and reached the
ears of the fond mother.

"What is that hideous noise?" she fiercely asked, turning upon her
startled husband.

"It's some hyaena--or other," replied the Sub-Warden, looking vaguely
up to the ceiling, as if that was where they usually were to be found.

"Let us to business, my dear. Here comes the Warden." And he picked up
from the floor a wandering scrap of manuscript, on which I just caught