trousers stared gloomily upwards at the sky. With a small twig he carried Mr. Marrapit tapped the seat. Three or four raps w

he necessity of freeing himself from the constant annoyance of nets to be tightened, or of disputes between rival claims to courts to be settled, had driven him to devise some means of escape. It was essential to the safety of his post, upon the other hand, that he must never allow it to be said that he was constantly absent from his duties. Chance gave him the very means he sought. Bent double into a bush one day, searching a tennis ball,

to be his fate), he would creep to the most likely bush and there disappear as to his upper half. It is

w and faced Mr. Marrapi

ther one"; held it tow

pit had seen it. To lend motive to his concealment Mr. Fletcher carried always with him this same snail;

nable smell here,"

boriously. "It's not fo

ours is the duty. You are

hem dam

Your insolence increases

not to answer it. He insists. I tell him. I'm insolent." He s

You are insolent when you swear in my presence. You are inso

y I notice it. It's blamin' me I complain of. I don't draw the smell. I try to

oke to him as no other member of his establishment dared speak. The formula of dismissal would leap to Mr. Marrapit's mouth: knowledge of the unusually small wage for which Mr. Fletcher worked caused it to be stifled ere it found tongue. T

I complain my cats are no party. It is tobacco. The air

r inhaled. He pointed towards an elm aga

erta

laboriously; his inhalations rasped across th

indubitably smokes. Yourself you

rew his hand across it; thrust a damp and gloo

lar jobs for the future? Was I engaged to 'unt smells all day?

rrapit had

ated; drew the snail from his