Mackesy.  Then  I've  met  her.  She  was  at
Lucknow  last  season.  'Owned  a  permanently
juvenile  Mamma,  and  danced  damnably.  1  say,
Jervoise,  you  knew  the  Threegans,  didn't  you  ?

Jervoise.  {Civilian  of  twenty-five  years  service,
waking  up  from  his  do^e.)  Eh  ?  What's  that  ?
Knew  who  ?  How  ?  1  thought  I  was  at  Home,
confound  you!

Mackesy.  The  Threegan  girl's  engaged,  so
Blayne  says.
Jervoise.  {Slowly.)  Engaged — engaged!  Bless
my  soul!  I'm  getting  an  old  man!  Little  Minnie
Threegan  engaged.     It  was  only  the  other  day  I


32  The   World   Without

went  home  with  them  in  the  Siirat — no,  the
Massilia — and  she  was  crawling  about  on  her
hands  and  knees  among  the  ayahs.  'Used  to  call
me  the  "  Tick  Tack  Sahib"  because  1  showed
her  my  watch.  And  that  was  in  Sixty-Seven —
no,  Seventy.  Good  God,  how  time  flies!  I'm
an  old  man.  I  remember  when  Threegan  mar-
ried Miss  Derwent — daughter  of  old  Hooky  Der-
went — but  that  was  before  your  time.  And  so
the  little  baby's  engaged  to  have  a  little  baby  of
her  own!    Who's  the  other  fool  ?

Mackesy.     Gadsby  of  the  Pink  Hussars.
Jervoise.  'Never  met  him.  Threegan  lived  in
debt,  married  in  debt,  and'll  die  in  debt.  'Must
be  glad  to  get  the  girl  off  his  hands.
Blayne.  Gaddy  has  money — lucky  devil.
Place  at  Home,  too.
DooNE.  He  comes  of  first-class  stock.  'Can't
quite  understand  his  being  caught  by  a  Colonel's
daughter,  and  (^looking  cautiously  round  room)
Black  Infantry  at  that!  No  offence  to  you,
Blayne.
Blayne.     {Stiffly.)    Not  much,  tha-anks.
CuRTiss.  {Quoting  motto  of  Irregular  Moguls.')
"We  are  what  we  are,"  eh,  old  man?  But
Gaddy  was  such  a  superior  animal  as  a  rule.
