Piccadilly Jim

it must return after a while to face the minor troubles of the future that is immediate. The prospect of a vi

he appearance of his name in the Birthday Honours-the fact that in all probability he would be taken again this morning to watch the continuation of that infernal cricket-m

here been sufficient to cause the teams of Surrey and Kent to postpone the second instalment of their serial struggle? He rose from the table and went out into the hall. It was his purpose to sally out into Grosvenor Square

been among his hardest tasks to learn the lesson that the perfect gentleman does not open doors but waits for the appropriate menial to come along and do it for him. He had succeeded at length in mastering this great truth,

oman in the early forties whose appearance seemed somehow oddly familiar. The second was a small, fat, blobby, bulging boy who was chewing something. The third,

those roomy suits with square shoulders which to the seeing eye are as republican as the Stars and Stripes. His blunt-toed yellow shoes sang gaily of home. And his hat was not so much a hat as an effusive greet

e had not unnaturally mistaken him for the butler, she took for a silent a

Please tell her that Mrs

t of his name in the Birthday Honours. He was profoundly thankful that she had mistaken him for the butler. A chill passed through him as he pictured what would have been Eugenia's reception of the information that he had committed such a bourgeois solecism as opening the front door to Mrs. Pett of all people, who already despised him as a low vulgarian. T

his innocently curious way he had often pumped Bayliss on the subject. He bowed silently and led the way to the morning-room

. Crocker that you

hat his manner at this, their first meeting, had deeply impressed her. After many months of smouldering revolt she had dismissed her own butler a day or so before sailing f

ntiness than a man faced by such a prospect. A millionaire several times over, Mr. Pett would cheerfully have given much of his wealth to have been elsewhere at that moment. Such was the agitated state of his mind that, when a hand was laid

t race?" said this strange b

a blank stare of amazement. Such, however, is the almost superhuman intelligence and quickness of mind

ant

said th

Mr. Pett, the overmastering joy of the baseball fan who in a strange land unexpectedly encou

m slumping?" enq

t. I've seen those boys lead the league ti

," said the

's in

old souper w

hut out the Cubs the

in

ess of the proceedings began to steal upon Mr

know anything about b

e over his whole appearance. He had the a

ntleman in New York, and during my stay I became extremely interested in the national game. I picked up

usiasm. "You're the first thing that's

ir

ood plac

, yes,

eel like making a change, there's a

sir." Mr. Cr

hat,

being home again to see a hat like that. He followed Mr. Pe

ront door had found him deep in an extremely interesting piece of news in his hal

ll Mrs. Crocker that Mrs. Pett is waiting to see her. She's in

yliss, grateful for

Bay

ir

y to be too sticky for them to

here will be play, sir. There was

on to his den wit

*

ocracy of England had shown her that, while the men occasionally permitted themselves an outburst, the women never did, and she had schooled herself so rigorously that nowadays she seldom even raised her voice. Her bearing, as

had the appearance of being a sort of Old Home Week of Petts, a kind of Pett family mob-scene. Her sister's second marriage having taken place after thei

, Eugenia," s

my sister, Eugen

shaped shoes he wore, how appalling his hat was, how little hair he had and how deplorably he lacked all those graces of repose

sister-in-law of his had married. He pictured him as a handsome, powerful, robust individual with a strong jaw and a loud voice, for he could imagine no lesser type of man consenting to link his lot with such a woman.

se, you know,"

ch the appearance of having been hewn from the living rock that

rtly. "Will you please stop him fidge

osed of his step-father. But Ogden required more than a glance to divert him from any pursuit in which he was interested. He shifted a deposit of candy from h

nd sit down,"

ant to s

ong stay in England

er co

w. We have m

dee

ze paper-knife, had begun to tap the vase with it. The ri

said Mrs. Crocker in a detached voice, "let m

said Mr

the window. He stood looking out into the square, a slight twitchin

gaging child!" mur

re to discuss Ogde

Mrs. Otho Lanners, from whom she had lear

to find out why yo

to you about your ste

tion saved her from the humiliation of showing surprise. She waved her hand graciously-in the

epeated Mrs. Pett. "What is it th

f such a defensive atmosphere of non-existence that now that he re-entered the con

ushed the tombstone to one side and

!" he murmured

s. Crocker. "It is extrem

n smile appeared on Mr. Pett

uld worry

et

again, great

ork papers refer to J

oc

ain,

m the cerements. He had supposed

e's a ne

hy

a newspaper-suddenly taken off to England to become a London dude-mixing with al

pression came over

papers from printing what they wish. So they have pub

id Mr. Pett,

to be done about

t endor

her health if these s

s, but she had hard work to kee

above petty jeal

hed a sharp, m

disgrace I

disgr

ame upon a full page article about your nephew having got intoxicated at the races and fought a book

horrors of the long-dead past, but it seemed that they still lived in print. There and then she registered the resolve to talk t

ve come to you. It must stop. And the only way it can be made to stop is by taking your step-son away from London where he is running wild. Peter has most kindly consented to give the boy a position in his office. It is very good of him, for the boy cannot in the nat

r raised he

terly preposterous. I have never heard

ref

rse I r

are extreme

dee

two cowboys reach for their hip-pockets. Neither his wife nor his sister-in-law paid any attention to him. The concluding exerci

ordinary!"

in no mood f

id heatedly, "that James Crocker is being

ugh, one of those offensive rippling

used to the ways of London Society, James was a little wild, but all that sort of thing is over now. He knows"-she paused, set

uite audible gasp escap

ha

fingers before her mouth in o

y thought of by the Powers. So naturally James is quite aware that he must behave in a suitable manner. He is a dear boy! He was handicapped at first by getting into the wrong se

r this rain of titles, but she

to meet him. I have no doubt he kno

She had not supposed that her sister

Lord Wisbea

. Pett, beginning to

him every day. He alw

a home. He knows so f

comfort to him, I

had time now to r

izzy!" she s

ett st

ha

ellow? He left here with the intention of travelling roun

d Wisbeach?" dem

r raised he

ter Lord Percy Whipple, he is

llected Ogden and Mr. Pett with an eye which even Ogden

to bother to come all the way from America like this. So stran

rrival of Bayliss. They were in no mood for the formalities of polite Society. They wanted to be elsewhere, and

h happy, shining face, "send for

good,

James

eve not

amiability extended even to her step-son, though she had not altered her intention of speaking eloquently to him on certain mat

own into the hall. Bayliss, who had finished telephoning to the garage for Mrs. Crocker's limousine and was about

ng, Mr. Jam