The Warden entered at this moment: and close behind him came the LordChancellor, a little flushed and out of breath, and adjusting his wig,which appeared to have been dragged partly off his head.

"But where is my precious child?" my Lady enquired, as the four tooktheir seats at the small side-table devoted to ledgers and bundles andbills.

"He left the room a few minutes ago with the Lord Chancellor,"the Sub-Warden briefly explained.

"Ah!" said my Lady, graciously smiling on that high official."Your Lordship has a very taking way with children! I doubt if anyone could gain the ear of my darling Uggug so quickly as you can!"For an entirely stupid woman, my Lady's remarks were curiously full ofmeaning, of which she herself was wholly unconscious.

The Chancellor bowed, but with a very uneasy air. "I think the Wardenwas about to speak," he remarked, evidently anxious to change thesubject.

But my Lady would not be checked. "He is a clever boy," she continuedwith enthusiasm, "but he needs a man like your Lordship to draw himout!"

The Chancellor bit his lip, and was silent. He evidently feared that,stupid as she looked, she understood what she said this time, and washaving a joke at his expense. He might have spared himself all anxiety:whatever accidental meaning her words might have, she herself nevermeant anything at all.

"It is all settled!" the Warden announced, wasting no time overpreliminaries. "The Sub-Wardenship is abolished, and my brother isappointed to act as Vice-Warden whenever I am absent. So, as I am goingabroad for a while, he will enter on his new duties at once."

"And there will really be a Vice after all?" my Lady enquired.

"I hope so!" the Warden smilingly replied.

My Lady looked much pleased, and tried to clap her hands: but you mightas well have knocked two feather-beds together, for any noise it made."When my husband is Vice," she said, "it will be the same as if we hada hundred Vices!"

"Hear, hear!" cried the Sub-Warden.

"You seem to think it very remarkable," my Lady remarked with someseverity, "that your wife should speak the truth!"

"No, not remarkable at all!" her husband anxiously explained."Nothing is remarkable that you say, sweet one!"

My Lady smiled approval of the sentiment, and went on."And am I Vice-Wardeness?"

"If you choose to use that title," said the Warden:"but 'Your Excellency' will be the proper style of address. And I trustthat both 'His Excellency' and 'Her Excellency' will observe theAgreement I have drawn up. The provision I am most anxious aboutis this." He unrolled a large parchment scroll, and read aloud the words"'item, that we will be kind to the poor.' The Chancellor worded itfor me," he added, glancing at that great Functionary."I suppose, now, that word 'item' has some deep legal meaning?"

"Undoubtedly!" replied the Chancellor, as articulately as he could witha pen between his lips. He was nervously rolling and unrolling severalother scrolls, and making room among them for the one the Warden hadjust handed to him. "These are merely the rough copies," he explained:"and, as soon as I have put in the final corrections--" making agreat commotion among the different parchments, "--a semi-colon ortwo that I have accidentally omitted--" here he darted about, pen inhand, from one part of the scroll to another, spreading sheets ofblotting-paper over his corrections, "all will be ready for signing."

"Should it not be read out, first?" my Lady enquired.

"No need, no need!" the Sub-Warden and the Chancellor exclaimed at thesame moment, with feverish eagerness.

"No need at all," the Warden gently assented. "Your husband and I havegone through it together. It provides that he shall exercise the fullauthority of Warden, and shall have the disposal of the annual revenueattached to the office, until my return, or, failing that, until Brunocomes of age: and that he shall then hand over, to myself or to Brunoas the case may be, the Wardenship, the unspent revenue, and thecontents of the Treasury, which are to be preserved, intact, under hisguardianship."

All this time the Sub-Warden was busy, with the Chancellor's help,shifting the papers from side to side, and pointing out to the Wardenthe place whew he was to sign. He then signed it himself, and my Ladyand the Chancellor added their names as witnesses.

"Short partings are best," said the Warden. "All is ready for myjourney. My children are waiting below to see me off" He gravely kissedmy Lady, shook hands with his brother and the Chancellor, and left theroom.

[Image...'What a game!']

The three waited in silence till the sound of wheels announcedthat the Warden was out of hearing: then, to my surprise, they brokeinto peals of uncontrollable laughter.

"What a game, oh, what a game!" cried the Chancellor. And he and theVice-Warden joined hands, and skipped wildly about the room. My Ladywas too dignified to skip, but she laughed like the neighing of ahorse, and waved her handkerchief above her head: it was clear to hervery limited understanding that something very clever had been done,but what it was she had yet to learn.

"You said I should hear all about it when the Warden had gone,"she remarked, as soon as she could make herself heard.

"And so you shall, Tabby!" her husband graciously replied, as heremoved the blotting-paper, and showed the two parchments lying side byside. "This is the one he read but didn't sign: and this is the one hesigned but didn't read! You see it was all covered up, except the placefor signing the names--"

"Yes, yes!" my Lady interrupted eagerly, and began comparing the twoAgreements.

"'Item, that he shall exercise the authority of Warden, in the Warden'sabsence.' Why, that's been changed into 'shall be absolute governor forlife, with the title of Emperor, if elected to that office by thepeople.' What! Are you Emperor, darling?"

"Not yet, dear," the Vice-Warden replied. "It won't do to let thispaper be seen, just at present. All in good time."

My Lady nodded, and read on. "'Item, that we will be kind to the poor.'Why, that's omitted altogether!"

"Course it is!" said her husband. "We're not going to bother about thewretches!"

"Good," said my Lady, with emphasis, and read on again. "'Item, thatthe contents of the Treasury be preserved intact.' Why, that's alteredinto 'shall be at the absolute disposal of the Vice-Warden'!"Well, Sibby, that was a clever trick! All the Jewels, only think!May I go and put them on directly?"

"Well, not just yet, Lovey," her husband uneasily replied."You see the public mind isn't quite ripe for it yet. We must feelour way. Of course we'll have the coach-and-four out, at once.And I'll take the title of Emperor, as soon as we can safely hold anElection. But they'll hardly stand our using the Jewels, as long asthey know the Warden's alive. We must spread a report of his death.A little Conspiracy--"

"A Conspiracy!" cried the delighted lady, clapping her hands."Of all things, I do like a Conspiracy! It's so interesting!"

The Vice-Warden and the Chancellor interchanged a wink or two. "Let herconspire to her heart's content!" the cunning Chancellor whispered."It'll do no harm!"

"And when will the Conspiracy--"

"Hist!', her husband hastily interrupted her, as the door opened,and Sylvie and Bruno came in, with their arms twined lovingly round eachother--Bruno sobbing convulsively, with his face hidden on hissister's shoulder, and Sylvie more grave and quiet, but with tearsstreaming down her cheeks.

"Mustn't cry like that!" the Vice-Warden said sharply, but without anyeffect on the weeping children. "Cheer 'em up a bit!" he hinted to myLady.

"Cake!" my Lady muttered to herself with great decision, crossing theroom and opening a cupboard, from which she presently returned with twoslices of plum-cake. "Eat, and don't cry!" were her short and simpleorders: and the poor children sat down side by side, but seemed in nomood for eating.

For the second time the door opened--or rather was burst open,this time, as Uggug rushed violently into the room, shouting"that old Beggars come again!"

"He's not to have any food--" the Vice-warden was beginning, but theChancellor interrupted him. "It's all right," he said, in a low voice:"the servants have their orders."

"He's just under here," said Uggug, who had gone to the window, and waslooking down into the court-yard.

"Where, my darling?" said his fond mother, flinging her arms round theneck of the little monster. All of us (except Sylvie and Bruno,who took no notice of what was going on) followed her to the window.The old Beggar looked up at us with hungry eyes. "Only a crust of bread,your Highness!" he pleaded.

[Image...'Drink this!']

He was a fine old man, but looked sadly ill and worn."A crust of bread is what I crave!" he repeated. "A single crust,and a little water!"

"Here's some water, drink this!"

Uggug bellowed, emptying a jug of water over his head.

"Well done, my boy!" cried the Vice-Warden.

"That's the way to settle such folk!"

"Clever boy!", the Wardeness chimed in. "Hasn't he good spirits?"

"Take a stick to him!" shouted the Vice-Warden, as the old Beggar shookthe water from his ragged cloak, and again gazed meekly upwards.

"Take a red-hot poker to him!" my Lady again chimed in.

Possibly there was no red-hot poker handy: but some sticks wereforthcoming in a moment, and threatening faces surrounded the poor oldwanderer, who waved them back with quiet dignity. "No need to break myold bones," he said. "I am going. Not even a crust!"

"Poor, poor old man!" exclaimed a little voice at my side, half chokedwith sobs. Bruno was at the window, trying to throw out his slice ofplum-cake, but Sylvie held him back.

"He shalt have my cake!" Bruno cried, passionately struggling out ofSylvie's arms.

"Yes, yes, darling!" Sylvie gently pleaded. "But don't throw it out!He's gone away, don't you see? Let's go after him." And she led him outof the room, unnoticed by the rest of the party, who were whollyabsorbed in watching the old Beggar.

The Conspirators returned to their seats, and continued theirconversation in an undertone, so as not to be heard by Uggug,who was still standing at the window.

"By the way, there was something about Bruno succeeding to theWrardenship," said my Lady. "How does that stand in the new Agreement?"

The Chancellor chuckled. "Just the same, word for word," he said,"with one exception, my Lady. Instead of 'Bruno,' I've taken theliberty to put in--" he dropped his voice to a whisper, "to put in'Uggug,' you know!"

"Uggug, indeed!" I exclaimed, in a burst of indignation I could nolonger control. To bring out even that one word seemed a giganticeffort: but, the cry once uttered, all effort ceased at once: a suddengust swept away the whole scene, and I found myself sitting up, staringat the young lady in the opposite corner of the carriage, who had nowthrown back her veil, and was looking at me with an expression ofamused surprise.