"Mollie! What in the name of [the devil—" he began, stuttering.
"Now, Tommy, don't get excited, and don't swear at your wife," she said soothingly, pulling his shoulders down and kissing his cheek.
"Look here, Mollie! What the—! How—Oh! " My God!" And he sank on to the sofa whither she had been quickly leading him and dropped his head in his hands.
"First of all," said Mollie, going across to a tray on the desk, "I'l mix you a good whisky-and-soda, Then we'll have a quiet chat, all about it."
She poured out a fairly stiff He looked across at her and started again, "You!—You!" lessons and success; till I release him."
"You know your committed unpardonable sin," he went on," ooking hard at' her, "don't you? You deliberately missed that last putt."
didn't" she flashed. 'Then she smiled, "Well,.anyway, there would have been the devil to' pay i€ T had won, wouldn't there?"
He murmured "Um—yes." and there was a pause. At length he led and "Will you show me theb baftyshot to-morrow?" 3 will," she said. And they both laughed.
"Yes," she said quietly, squirting the soda water into the glass from the siphon. She brought the drink jover to him and sat down beside him while he took a big gulp of it. He then sat staring into the glass a3 if, mesmerized. Presently. she! looked at him out of the corner of her eyes and murmured "Who nearly got beaten by his wife?
"Wake up, Tom, and go to bed,"
his wife, turning round from the desk at which she was writting. "You've been sleeping on that sofa lever since dinner und it's now, near= midnight. "Remember your train Foes, at eight otelock riv the: mornin He half opened one eye, "My train?"
She was just in time to rescue the tumbler as he threw himself. down on the sofa and Jaughed and laughed till Mollie began to get a ttle frightened. "He stopped, however, just as suddenly and, sitting up and turning an intent' eye on liber, said:
"Who taught you?"
She mentioned a world-famous Scottish name.
"How long has this been going on?" he continued, "Two years," she answered. "Does he know anything of this "Near-tragedy? No. Nobody knows anything of that. And ho is, under an oath of secrecy as to my "Yes, my dear, your train, Waka vp! Your train to Glenwood for the Championship." One she turned back to her writing.
Slowly he opened both eyes wide. "For the Championship!" He slid his feet to the floor and sat up. "So it hasn't even. started yet!"
He rose from the weta and went towards the door.
Oh! and here, take this awful eft on the desk." across to him, said his wife, new cap you've She fung it trust you are not gain, to wear the Championship," she added, He caught it deftly.
"Yes! By George I am!" he suid,
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.