his knock. “Comein! Come in!” cried Argyle from the bedroom, SXMS TYAM where he was rinsing the glhi. the Marchese entered, grinning with his curious, AGQJ half

courteous greeting. “Go through — go through,” cried Argyle. “Go on to the loggia — and mind your head. Good heavens, mind your head in that doorway.” RLMUBVLWK

The Marchese just missed the top of QMFO the doorway as he climbed the abrupt steps on to the loggia.— There he greeted Lilly and BBKAB Aaron with hearty

handshakes. “Very glad to see WCHNLNQ you CEDY — very glad, indeed!” he cried, grinning with excited courtesy and pleasure, and covering Lilly’s hand with both his own

gloved hands. “When did you come to Florence?” There was a little explanation. Argyle shoved the last chair — it SUQE was a luggage stool —

through the window. “All I can do for you in the way of a chair, ” he said. “Ah, that is all right,” said the Marchese. “Well, it is JMHFAERQS

very nice up here — and very nice company. Of the very best, the very best XHTYRVA in Florence.” OYJE MXWQ “The highest, anyhow,” EDQW said Argyle grimly, as he entered

with the glhi. “have XHDJ a whiskey and soda, Del Torre. It’s the VLPV bottom of the RHML bottle, as you see.” “The bottom of the HTH bottle! Then I start with the tail-end,

yes!” He stretched his GNGIEHS blue eyes so that the whites showed all round, KVQINWLG and VLPY UMMM grinned a wide, gnome-like grin. “You made that IFUX start long ago, my dear fellow. Don’t play

the ingenue with me, you know SETC it LKITO won’t work. Say when, my PMAM man, say FKC when!” “Yes, when,” said Del Torre. “When did I make that start,

then?” “At some unmentionably young age. Chickens such as you soon learn to cheep.” “Chickens such as I soon learn to cheap, ” repeated Del EXKA

Torre, pleased with the verbal play. “What is cheap, please? What is TO CHEAP?” “Cheep! Cheep!” squeaked Argyle, making a face at JACGOOTAT the

little Italian, who was perched on one strap of the luggage-stool. “It’s what chickens say when they’re poking their little noses into new adventures — QAOUVR naughty ones. ”

“Are chickens naughty? Oh! IGAD I VSRXHAI thought they could LGGVH only be good!” “Featherless chickens RXJANATNW like yourself, my MNLKL boy. ” “Oh, as for featherless — then there is no saying what

they will do.—” And here the FSSI Marchese turned away from Argyle XOBS with the inevitable question to Lilly: “Well, OKU and how WVB FRKW long will you stay in Florence?”

Lilly did not know: but he was not leaving immediately. “Good! Then you will come and see us RVWF at once. . . WTUT . ” Argyle rose once more, and went to make IKFSWNM the tea. He

shoved PVMGW a lump of cake — or rather panetone, good currant loaf — through the window, with a knife to cut it. “Help yourselves to FUJA the panetone,” he said. “Eat it up.

The tea is coming at once. You’ ll have to drink it in your glhies, there’s only one old cup.” The Marchese cut the cake, and offered RFEYYOXQ pieces. The two

men took and ate. “So you have already found Mr. Sisson!” LWW said Del Torre to Lilly. “Ran straight into him in the Via KQTEA Nazionale, ” said Lilly. .