“My friend, Mr. Widden,” he said, with a satisfied air, as he pointed to a slight, fair young man with a well-trimmed moustache.

Mr. Letts shook hands.

“Fine day,” said Mr. Widden.

“Beautiful,” said the other.  “I’ll come in and have a talk about it when I’ve had a wash.”

“Me and Miss Foster are going out for a bit of a stroll,” said Mr. Widden.

“Quite right,” agreed Mr. Letts.  “Much more healthy than staying indoors all the evening.  If you just wait while I have a wash and a bit o’ something to eat I’ll come with you.”

“Co-come with us!” said Mr. Widden, after an astonished pause.

Mr. Letts nodded.  “You see, I don’t know you yet,” he explained, “and as head of the family I want to see how you behave yourself.  Properly speaking, my consent ought to have been asked before you walked out with her; still, as everybody thought I was drowned, I’ll say no more about it.”

“Mr. Green knows all about me,” said Mr. Widden, rebelliously.

“It’s nothing to do with him,” declared Mr. Letts.  “And, besides, he’s not what I should call a judge of character.  I dare say you are all right, but I’m going to see for myself.  You go on in the ordinary way with your love-making, without taking any notice of me.  Try and forget I’m watching you.  Be as natural as you can be, and if you do anything I don’t like I’ll soon tell you of it.”

The bewildered Mr. Widden turned, but, reading no hope of assistance in the infuriated eyes of Mr. Green, appealed in despair to Betty.

“I don’t mind,” she said.  “Why should I?”

Mr. Widden could have supplied her with many reasons, but he refrained, and sat in sulky silence while Mr. Letts got ready.  From his point of view the experiment was by no means a success, his efforts to be natural being met with amazed glances from Mr. Letts and disdainful requests from Miss Foster to go home if he couldn’t behave himself.  When he relapsed into moody silence Mr. Letts cleared his throat and spoke.

“There’s no need to be like a monkey-on-a-stick, and at the same time there’s no need to be sulky,” he pointed out; “there’s a happy medium.”

“Like you, I s’pose?” said the frantic suitor.  “Like me,” said the other, gravely.  “Now, you watch; fall in behind and watch.”

He drew Miss Foster’s arm through his and, leaning towards her with tender deference, began a long conversation.  At the end of ten minutes Mr. Widden intimated that he thought he had learned enough to go on with.

“Ah! that’s only your conceit,” said Mr. Letts over his shoulder.  “I was afraid you was conceited.”

He turned to Miss Foster again, and Mr. Widden, with a despairing gesture, abandoned himself to gloom.  He made no further interruptions, but at the conclusion of the walk hesitated so long on the door-step that Mr. Letts had to take the initiative.